all words and photos: Josh Miller

Actress and lyricist Black Kold Medina, star of the Oscar-nominated documentary Trouble the Water, headlined the One DC Block Party for Justice Saturday in Shaw.

“I could have been anywhere else, you could have been anywhere else,” she said. “I am so honored to have been invited here to share in this event.”

One DC, a nascent organization that grew out of Manna CDC, is dedicated to exercising political strength to create and preserve racial and economic equity in Shaw and DC at large. The group’s first annual community celebration — featuring hip-hop and spoken word artists, free food, carnival games and face painting — ran from noon to 6 p.m. in an empty lot at 7th and S Streets NW.

Organizers and performers urged attendees to learn and keep alive their heritages. At one point, the chant “read a book, read a book” rippled through the crowd.

I have heard One DC referred to as Shaw’s anti-gentrification agency and the irony of crashing their block party was not lost on me, a Caucasian renter in the rapidly yuppifying neighborhood. But the crowd was diverse and a neighborly spirit flowed forth from attendees and organizers like the free rhymes pouring out of the sound system. So rather than getting caught up in any beef, I prefer to just thank the good folks at One DC for the complimentary hamburger. One love, One DC.