Description:
SUMMARY: This is an interview with lifelong D.C. Resident, James Shabazz, whom at the time of the interview was currently homeless. He works as a street vendor during the day and spends nights at the CCNV shelter. The interview touches on the subject of homelessness in the district, development of the downtown business district, decline in street vendors, Shabazz’s personal history, his activism and other subtopics surrounding those subjects.
PROJECT’S OBJECTIVES: The interviews conducted as part of the DC Oral History and Social Justice Project record how unhoused residents of the greater DC area view the history of homelessness – how did homelessness become such an entrenched part of the city. The interviews will be used to create critical dialogue among people who are currently unhoused in Washington, DC, and then they may be used to assist future advocacy efforts.
