Gentrification is on the rise in Washington, D.C., and across the nation, and unfortunately for Black people, it often threatens many of the historic and cultural pillars in our community.
The Howard University community, for instance, has been dealing with this issue for a while, but many students have reached their boiling point. This comes after a growing number of newcomers to the Shaw-Howard neighborhood where the school is located have begun using the popular campus meeting place known as “The Yard” for recreational activities and as a dog park.
On Thursday, April 18, 2019, a Fox 5 news report included students’ concerns and an interview with a man who suggested that the historically Black school’s campus should be moved. Watch the video to see the full interview.
Recent reports have came out that Howard University Students feel disrespected by residents using the yard as a dog park 🐕 but this resident thinks the campus should be moved 😮😡 pic.twitter.com/stxHUWtu2X
— 38Madison Media (@38MadisonMedia) April 19, 2019
“They’re in part of D.C., so they have to work within D.C., so if they don’t want to be within D.C., they should move the campus,” said resident Sean Grubbs-Robishaw.
As a Howard University alum and supporter of HBCUs, it enrages me that this man has moved into a community and chosen to ignore its rich history. He expects for a 150-year-old institution that graduated W.E.B. Du Bois, Toni Morrison, Chadwick Boseman, Taraji P. Henson and so many others, to just up and relocate our campus.
In the bustling District of Columbia, there is no shortage of dog parks, which is why students became outraged with Grubbs-Robishaw’s insensitive statement.
Since the report, Twitter has been on fire with people reacting to his comments. See a sampling below:
LMFAO. That entitlement is spicy. "Move the campus". Move the historical Howard so I can walk my dogs …. okay, let's do this at GW, AU, CU or GU and see if they feel the same way. But instead of dogs, let's blast gogo. 🙄
— 🌻 (@MyTeigh) April 19, 2019
*Stares in 152 years of Black Excellence* pic.twitter.com/e4VbpwhoGc
— sagittarius' groove 🪩 (@oneandamelia) April 19, 2019
https://twitter.com/150Bison/status/1119243246683734016
https://twitter.com/rattpack_reppin/status/1119235991770947589
The students and alumni are taking a stance with the hashtag #HowardWontMove. The same way the community fought for the historic T-Mobile store on U-Street to continue to play go-go music, they will fight to uphold Howard’s legacy as an institution of higher learning for African Americans and not a dog park.
