“ALPHA PHI ALPHA WAY”

Historical Justification For The Renaming Of The 2400 Block Of First Street
Research Compiled By: Silas Woods III – Historian, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, Mu Lambda Chapter [6/2020]

Summary

Since the inception of the Bloomingdale neighborhood and its history as it relates to the Black community of Washington DC,
the members of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity have played an integral role in progressing the causes of civil rights, fair
housing, and racial equity in the Bloomingdale and along the historically significant First Street corridor.

Originally established as an all-white community, the first black homeowner in Bloomingdale, civil engineer Francis Desales
Smith, purchased a residence on First Street in 1907. White residents of Bloomingdale successfully sued to remove him from
this home, and by the 1920’s had established legally binding covenants to exclude Black buyers from purchasing homes in the
area. First Street became the dividing line between the all-white and integrated communities of Bloomingdale. The East side
of the street was restricted to all-white residents while the west side could be integrated.

 Senator Edward Brooke, the first African American U.S. Senator and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., was
among the first black residents of First Street in the 1920’s living in the West (African American) side of the racial barrier.

The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity was still a nascent organization itself during the original formation of the all-white
Bloomingdale community. Yet in the ensuing decades, coalesced by the repeated assaults on Black Homes in the
Bloomingdale community and other racial inequities, members of the fraternity, and specifically Mu Lambda Chapter, played
an indispensable role as an overt forces for change, an underlying support system for a Black community demanding fair
housing opportunities and the continued growth of this community.

 Attorney Charles Hamilton Houston, Howard University law professor, Alpha Phi Alpha member, and founding
member of Mu Lambda chapter, represented black families in several Bloomingdale housing discrimination cases
throughout the 1940’s, including the famous Hurd V Hodges case argued before the U.S. Supreme Court with his former
student, Alpha Phi Alpha and Mu Lambda Chapter member, and future Supreme Court justice, Thurgood Marshall.

 Former DC Mayor Marion Barry, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha’s Mu Lambda chapter, launched the DC chapter of the
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the heart of Bloomingdale in 1965, spearheading multiple civil rights
initiatives.

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity’s has a decades long legacy in the fight for fair housing. Its renown fraternity members with ties to
First Street and who helped wage this battle made a big impact on not only on the community of Bloomingdale, but America.
Coupled with the current strong community presence of the Mu Lambda chapter headquartered there, there is no place more
befitting than First Street to bear the name “Alpha Phi Alpha Way”.

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated

Washington D.C. has experienced over a century of Alpha Phi Alpha presence, service, and advocacy.

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated Founded December 4 th,1906 In Ithaca, New York. According to the
fraternity’s mission statement, “Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. develops leaders, promotes brotherhood and academic
excellence, while providing service and advocacy for our communities.” [Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Viewed 2020]
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, Beta Chapter, Chartered December 20 th, 1907 In Washington D.C. Alpha
Phi Alpha’s presence in the Washington DC area began shortly after the establishment of the Bloomingdale community when
its second chapter was chartered at the nearby Howard University.

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, Mu Lambda Chapter Chartered October 19 th, 1923 In Washington D.C.
The Mu Lambda graduate chapter of the fraternity has served the Washington, DC NW community since its inception in
1923. While the chapter has occupied various houses throughout Northwest DC since its inception, the chapter paid homage
to the decades long legacy in the fight for fair housing, when it purchased property for the establishment of its chapter
headquarters on the historic First Street in the community of Bloomingdale.

The Bloomingdale Neighborhood

THE BORDERS OF THE BLOOMINGDALE NEIGHBORHOOD
The Streets Demarcating The Borders Of The Bloomingdale Community Are Second Street NW, North Capital,
Florida Avenue NW, Bryant And Channing Places.
According to The Washington Post, “Tucked between Shaw and Eckington on the border of the District’s northwest
quadrant, Bloomingdale stretches from Second Street NW to North Capitol, bordered by Florida Avenue NW to the south
and Bryant and Channing places NW to the north.” [Washington Post, 8/12/16]

FIRST STREET
First Street Is A Historic Corridor Of The Bloomingdale Community.
According to The DC Preservation League, “The houses along this block were among the first to be built in Bloomingdale,
and defined First Street as the neighborhood’s premier architectural corridor.” [DC Preservation League, Viewed 6/12/20]

First Street is also a key corridor of the neighborhood as it related to the African American history of the area. In the
1920’s when the white homeowners of Bloomington established legally binding covenants meant to exclude black
occupants, First Street became the dividing line between the all-white and integrated communities of
Bloomingdale. The East side of the street was restricted to all-white residents while the west side could be
integrated. According to The DC Preservation League, “The court’s enforcement of the covenant set a precedent in DC for
upholding deed restrictions barring black residents. In Bloomingdale, the continued enforcement of covenants along the
neighborhood’s unit blocks made First Street a barrier to black settlement to the east.” [DC Preservation League, Viewed
6/11/02]

Alpha Phi Alpha’s Ties To Bloomingdale And First Street

The Bloomingdale Neighborhood Remained All White Until 1907 When Its First Black Resident Was
Sued And Forced To Evacuate The Community

1907: Civil Engineer Francis Desales Smith Became The First Black Resident Of First St And Was Sued By His
Neighbors Who Claimed His Presence Would “‘Do Irreparable Injury To The Residents And Depreciate The Value
Of The Adjacent Properties.’ According to The DC Preservation League, “Deed covenants restricted the block to white
residents, but in 1907 black civil engineer Francis DeSales Smith bought 2206 First Street. A neighbor sued, alleging the sale
would ‘do irreparable injury to the residents and depreciate the value of the adjacent properties,’ reported the Washington
Post. The Washington Times declared that Harrison v. Smith would be ‘the first case brought before the local courts in which
the citizenship of a whole community had banded together to prevent a colored person from occupying a residence among
them.’” [DC Preservation League, Viewed 6/10/20]

The Residents Of Bloomingdale Implemented Strict Rules To Prevent The Sale Of Homes To Non-
Whites
 [DC Preservation League, Viewed 6/10/20]

In 1920s The Residents Of First Street And The Larger Bloomingdale Community Organized To Restrict The Sale
Of Homes In The Community Exclusively To White People. According to The DC Preservation League, “In the 1920s,
white residents of this block and throughout much of Bloomingdale circulated agreements obligating signers and future
owners to sell or rent only to white people. This form of covenant covered properties that had not been restricted when first
developed, or in some cases reinforced existing covenants, and became legally binding when filed with DC’s Recorder of
Deeds. In 1924, white residents also launched the North Capitol Citizen, a newspaper ‘devoted to antinegro propaganda,’
according to the Washington Post. In its first issue, the paper announced the availability of ‘For White Occupants’ signs to
residents selling houses.” [DC Preservation League, Viewed 6/10/20]

Covenants implemented via legally binding, petition-like agreements, blanketed Bloomingdale by the late
1920s.

Mu Lambda
Foundation House

First Street
 [DC Preservation League, Viewed 6/10/20]

FIRST STREET BECAME THE DIVIDING BARRIER BETWEEN THE

INTEGRATED AND ALL WHITE BLOOMINGDALE COMMUNITIES
1925: The DC Circuit Court Decision In Torrey V. Wolfes Upheld The DC Precedent Largely Barring Black Home
Buyers From Certain Purchases And Established First Street As A Barrier Restricting Black Residents From
Purchasing Homes In The Eastern Portion Of The Bloomingdale Community. According to The DC Preservation
League, “Despite the fact that African Americans already lived within a block of here, neighbors successfully sued the white
owners of 40 Randolph Street—the Torreys—for breaking the covenant. When the Torreys challenged the ruling, the
appellate court maintained that all the homeowners had agreed to subject themselves to the developers’ covenant with the
assurance that the other houses would be similarly protected. The D.C. Court of Appeals ruled in Torrey v. Wolfes that,
regardless of their willingness to pay a $2,000 penalty for violating the covenant, as required by a clause in the deed, the
Torreys could not sell their house to a black buyer. The court’s enforcement of the covenant set a precedent in DC for
upholding deed restrictions barring black residents. In Bloomingdale, the continued enforcement of covenants along the
neighborhood’s unit blocks made First Street a barrier to black settlement to the east.” [DC Preservation League, Viewed
6/11/02]

1920s: Senator Edward Brooke, A Member of Alpha Phi Alpha’s Mu Lambda Chapter, Was Among
The First Black Residents Of First Street

Senator Edward Brooke, The First African American U.S. Senator And Member Of Alpha Phi Alpha
Fraternity, Inc., Was Among The First Black Residents Of First Street In The 1920’s. According to The DC
Preservation League, “In the late 1920s, young Edward Brooke moved with his family to 1730 First Street, on the
west (African American) side of the First Street racial barrier. He graduated from Dunbar High School in 1936, then
earned a B.S. in sociology at nearby Howard University. In 1966 he became the first African American elected to the
U.S. Senate in the 20th century. Sen. Brooke (R-Mass.) co-authored the 1968 Fair Housing Act and, the next year,
pushed through legislation limiting rent for public housing to 25 percent of a tenant’s income. After leaving the Senate
in 1979, Brooke was named honorary chairman of the National Low Income Housing Coalition.” [DC Preservation
League, Viewed 6/11/02]

RACIST ATTACKS AND COMMUNITY TENSION FORECAST THE END OF THE

FIRST STREET RACIAL DIVIDE
1923: Over 500 White Bloomingdale Residents Marched To Three Houses Of Black Residents Demanding They
Leave The Community. According to The DC Preservation League, “Two decades earlier, in November 1923, more than
500 white Bloomingdale residents gathered here at First and U for a march to the nearby homes of three black families.
Although none of these houses were subject to racial covenants, the marchers told the owners, in a letter, that they had
‘invested all we have in our property, and … will not sit quietly by while all we have is threatened.’ They also stoned at least
one of the houses, prompting DC’s district attorney to warn that ‘Washington is likely to have another riot unless police are
active in suppressing attacks on colored homes,’ according to the Afro-American. At least two of the families who were
threatened refused to leave.” [DC Preservation League, 6/11/02]

1942: The Community East Of Bloomingdale Remained White Only Until Two Lawsuits Failed In Their Attempts
To Block The Residency Of The McCray And Matthews Families. According to The DC Preservation League, “First
Street remained the eastern limit of black settlement until 1942, when two lawsuits to uphold racially restrictive covenants on
this block of T Street were unsuccessful. Duffy v. McCray and Duffy v. Matthews attempted to prevent black families from
living at numbers 37 and 21 T Street, respectively. The latter case targeted newspaper editor Ralph Matthews and his wife
Selma Sampson Matthews, who produced ‘musical extravaganzas’ at the nearby Howard Theatre to raise funds for charitable
organizations, according to her Washington Post obituary.” [DC Preservation League, Viewed 6/11/20]

1947: Mu Lambda Hosted Ralph Matthews As Editor Of The Afro-American Newspaper To Speak
For A Program On Current Events
 1947: Mu Lambda Hosted Ralph Matthews To Speak At A Program On Current Events. According to The
SPHINX, “‘We are very proud of the wonderful work of our program committee, the chairman of which is the
affable Brother George H. Windsor. The committee presented Ralph H. Windsor, Editor of the Washington Afro
American Newspaper.’” [SPHINX, Volume 33, 5/1947]

1941: ALPHA PHI ALPHA’S CHARLES HAMILTON HOUSTON REPRESENTED

BLACK FAMILIES IN BLOOMINGDALE HOUSING DISCRIMINATION CASES
Alpha Phi Alpha Member And Founding Member Of Mu Lambda Charles Hamilton Houston Represented Several
Black Families In Housing Discrimination Cases. According to The DC Preservation League, “In 1941-42, civil rights
attorney Charles Hamilton Houston represented several clients here in an effort to persuade the courts that racial covenants
no longer served their intended purpose of keeping the neighborhood white. He also argued that black buyers, who faced a
severe housing shortage, were willing to pay a premium to live here, while white demand had declined. Houston partnered
with anti-covenant real estate agent and lawyer Raphael Urciolo, who was sued for selling several racially restricted houses to
black clients with the help of broker Romeo Horad. Urciolo represented himself in court, while Houston represented the
homebuyers. Although the court upheld the covenants here, the evidence Houston collected would soon prove useful for
another case” [DC Preservation League, 6/12/02]

Houston’s Earlier Housing Discrimination Cases Laid The Foundation For His Appearance Before The
Supreme Court To Argue The Case Of Hurd V. Hodges

1947: Houston Argued The Case Of James And Mary Hurd Against Their Bloomingdale Neighbors, Filing Repeat
Appeals. Ultimately The Supreme Court Agreed To Hear This And Similar Cases For Which Houston Was Joined
By Fellow Alpha Phi Alpha And Mu Lambda Member, Thurgood Marshall, Who Would Go On To Become A
Supreme Court Justice Himself. According to The DC Preservation League, “When James and Mary Hurd bought 116
Bryant Street in 1944, neighbors sued. Neighbors also sued the Hurds’ real estate agent, Raphael Urciolo, who had
subsequently sold three more houses on the block to African Americans. All four properties had restrictive covenants. Charles
Hamilton Houston represented the Hurds in court, while Urciolo defended himself. Houston called expert witnesses to testify
that race had no scientific basis, that covenants were having deleterious effects on American neighborhoods and society, that
housing was extremely scarce for African Americans, and that covenants were no longer keeping the neighborhood white.
Houston’s innovative strategy in Hurd v. Hodge did not sway the DC and federal appeals courts, which upheld the Bryant
Street covenants. However, the strategy represented a critical turning point in the legal campaign to dismantle segregation, and
Appellate Judge Henry Edgerton’s lengthy dissent would also prove influential. In 1947 the Supreme Court agreed to hear
Hurd v. Hodge as a companion to a St. Louis case, Shelley v. Kraemer, and a Detroit case, McGhee v. Sipes. The latter would
be argued by Houston’s former student, Thurgood Marshall.” [DC Preservation League, 6/12/02]

1948: The Supreme Court Found The Court Enforcement Of Covenants Unconstitutional, DC’s Enforcement Of
Discriminatory Covenants In Violation Of The Civil Rights Act Of 1866, And Racial Covenants Against The Public
Policy Of The United States. According to The DC Preservation League, “With assistance from the NAACP, Howard
University Law School, and other academic and legal experts, Houston compiled the most thorough brief of any he had ever
prepared for the Supreme Court. The U.S. Department of Justice and numerous advocacy groups supported the appeal, and in
May 1948 the decision came down: enforcement of covenants by the courts violated the 14th Amendment, which requires
states to treat citizens equally. In DC, which is not a state, enforcing covenants violated the Civil Rights Act of 1866. Racial
covenants also ran contrary to the public policy of the U.S., the Court said.” [DC Preservation League, 6/12/02]

1965: ALPHA PHI ALPHA’S MARION BARRY LAUNCHED THE DC STUDENT

NONVIOLENT COORDINATING COMMITTEE (SNCC) IN BLOOMINGDALE
1965: Former DC Mayor Marion Barry, A Member of Alpha Phi Alpha’s Mu Lambda Chapter, Launched The DC
Chapter Of The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee In The Heart Of Bloomingdale. According to The DC
Preservation League, “In 1965, Marion Barry moved to DC to open a branch of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating
Committee (SNCC) here. Soon after his arrival, Barry helped launch a successful city bus boycott to protest a fare increase;
initiated a boycott of businesses that did not support home rule for DC residents; and founded Pride, Inc., which trained and
employed mostly young black men in a variety of public works projects. Barry was elected to the school board in 1971 and,
three years later, to the City Council. He would go on to serve four terms as the city’s mayor.” [DC Preservation League,
Viewed 6/11/20]
Other Potentially Notable Residents of First Street
SAMUEL GOMPERS
Samuel Gompers House Located At 2122 First Street NW Was Added To The National Registration Of Historic
Places. [National Register of Historic Places, 6/12/20]

American Federation Of Labor President Samuel Gompers, A First Street Resident, Contributed To The Fund
Organized To Sue First Street’s First Black Home Owner. According to The DC Preservation League, “The Washington
Times declared that Harrison v. Smith would be ‘the first case brought before the local courts in which the citizenship of a
whole community had banded together to prevent a colored person from occupying a residence among them.’ The
contributors to a fund supporting legal action against Smith included American Federation of Labor President Samuel
Gompers, who lived down the street. Smith apparently succumbed to the pressure. By 1910, he and his family had moved out
of the neighborhood to 1216 Girard Street NW and a white government clerk and his family had replaced them at this
address.” [DC Preservation League, 6/12/02]