The Next Wave georgia avenue and morton street nw
Caribbean immigrants discovered this stretch of Georgia Avenue in the 1940s, bringing island culture along with jerk chicken, curry, and coco bread. Many, like Eric Williams, who later led Trinidad and Tobago to independence in 1962, came to study or teach at Howard University. Others came seeking better jobs. The 2000 Census showed that Caribbean-born residents formed DC’s second-largest immigrant group. Because they spoke English, immigrants from the former British West Indies found transition to DC life relatively easy. They held tightly to their traditions, opening businesses and organizing an annual festival on Georgia Avenue. Mike and Rita’s opened on this block in 1974, specializing in roti (curried meat and potatoes wrapped in a flaky dough). Across the street, at Lamont, Brown’s Bakery served patties and spice buns. When it opened in 1980 almost three dozen West Indian establishments occupied this stretch of the avenue. Georgia Avenue Day and Carnival parades have featured spectacular costumes, calypso music, and dancing. On Morton Street, to the east, the DC Housing Authority built the Park-Morton public housing complex in the early 1960s. The complex housed African Americans whose homes in Southwest DC were demolished during urban renewal to make way for modern apartments and offices. discover more: Dr. Charles R. Drew, who developed a method for storing blood plasma on a mass scale during World War II, was head of surgery at Freedmen’s Hospital. In the early 1940s he lived with his family at 3324 Sherman Avenue, Apartment 1.
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