True Reformers: From Alabama to U Street
Even before Industrial Bank or Southern Aid Society provided capital, financial services, and insurance plans for Black businesses on U Street, a fraternal organization by the name of True Reformers arrived from Richmond, Virginia to help lay the foundation of what would become Black Broadway.
By the time this building at 1200 U Street NW was dedicated in 1903, the Grand Fountain of the United Order of True Reformers was already one of the most successful Black owned enterprises in the United States.
The origins of the Three Reformers date back to temperance and William Washington Browne. Browne born as an enslaved person in Georgia. During the Civil War, he fought for the Union and after the war became a teacher. He grew to believe that alcohol was the great hindrance to Black wealth and vitality. Not surprisingly, even temperance organizations were segregated. Browne attempted to join the all white Alabama temperance society, Good Templars in 1874. They refused, but helped Browne charter Black chapters across the state under the name Grand Fountain. Browne became the leader of Grand Fountain and grew the chapters throughout and then beyond Alabama, fairly quickly.
Browne was invited to start a similar group in Richmond, Virginia in 1876. There, the mission evolved and expanded. By 1880, the Reformers group in Richmond had become much more than a temperance society. It had evolved into a self-help and mutual benefit organization with the goal of enabling Black members to live without help from the White community. That meant creating Black-focused services such as banking, insurance, and others restricted, segregated industries.
The Savings Bank of the Grand Fountain of the United Order of True Reformers opened in 1888 and was the first Black owned and Black operated financial institution to be chartered in the nation. It was so successful that during the Panic of 1893, they were the only Richmond bank that continued to honor checks. From there, Grand Fountain expanded their financial services offerings over the next quarter century to become arguably the most influential institution for Black commerce nationwide. Browne passed away of cancer in 1897, but by then the True Reformers was a self-sustaining organization with membership in the thousands.
In 1903 the True Reformers’ newly opened structure in Washington at 1200 U Street NW was America’s first to be solely owned by, financed by, designed by, and constructed by African Americans since Reconstruction. They offered a multitude of amenities and services to Black people in DC. Conference rooms, leased office space, a performance hall, and street level retail were all part of the vast offerings beyond financial services.
One of the first businesses to lease space on the ground level was Fountain Pharmacy, opening in 1905. For 12 years, the Fountain was operated by Dr. Amanda Gray who started her own business after graduating from Howard University and working as a pharmacist at the Woman’s Clinic, a care facility located, at the time, near 13th and T Streets NW.
Dr. Gray is thought to have been the first Black woman to own and operate a pharmacy in the city. Her store in the True Reformer building offered additional services such as laundry, mail, and even housed a telegraph office. Dr. Gray also produced a directory of emergency medical services in the city. Dr. Gray ran the Fountain Pharmacy until the death of her husband and fellow pharmacist Arthur in 1917.
During the fledgling first few years of what would become the “Black Broadway” era on U Street, the True Reformer building became known for hosting jazz concerts popular with both youth and adults.
In 1916 a young Duke Ellington played some of his first shows for money inside the rooms of True Reformer Hall, as it was colloquially known, thereby making him a professional musician. Just a year later in 1917, the True Reformers sold the building to the Knights of Pythias, who officially renamed it Pythias Hall, but the old name persists to this day.
Somewhat fittingly, the building is now home to the Public Welfare Foundation, a grant-making organization focused on social justice issues in the United States.
For more weekly DC history posts, photos, inside access to tour development, and more, support us on Patreon. Plans start at just $3/mo.
True Reformer building c. 1990s with its sole tenant, a Duron Paints store. (Library of Congress)
Busy U Street in late 2019.
Read more:
William Washington Browne and the True Reformers of Richmond, Virginia | JSTOR
A Family of Pharmacists | Library of Congress
William Washington Browne | Library of Virginia
Public Welfare Foundation | Public Welfare Foundation
Little Ethiopia Officially Finds a Place in DC
In 2005, Ethiopian-American business owners partnered with the Ethiopian American Constituency Foundation to petition the DC government to designate a portion of 9th Street NW as “Little Ethiopia.” At the time, the proposal had some community support and fledgling support of Ward 1 Council Member Jim Graham. However, the proposal never progressed beyond that and the designation was not followed up on in any substantial way. Fifteen years later, in somewhat of a surprise, the Council of the District of Columbia approved a Ceremonial Resolution declaring the area around 9th and U Streets NW as Little Ethiopia. A press conference was held at the intersection of 9th and U NW in late December 2020 to mark the occasion.
The Ethiopian-U.S. relationship is over a century old, kicking off with officials meetings during the Theadore Roosevelt administration. In the mid-century period, Emperor Haile Selassie was friendly with President Dwight Eisenhower’s administration and he became the first Ethiopian Emperor to visit the White House. Selassie was also friendly with Kennedy and was the only head of state from an African nation to attend JFK’s funeral.
Strengthening diplomatic ties and growing cultural influences, including U.S. music and pop culture, led many Ethiopian study abroad students to attend university in the states. DC was a popular destination because it was a prominent majority Black city, it was home to the Ethiopian Embassy, and Howard University was highly regarded as a top historically Black university.
Another interesting factor was related to DC itself being the capital of the United States. In Ethiopia, students from outer provinces looking to further their education, training, and job opportunities chose to relocate to Addis Ababa, the national capital. The idea that the capital was home to more opportunity was transferred to the U.S. capital. Most students never intended to stay, but the 1974 Ethiopian Revolution and civil war increased permanent immigration form Ethiopia, and later Eritrea.
In DC, the community settled around Columbia Heights and 18th Street in Adams Morgan, later moving south to 9th Street NW between T and U Streets. This neighborhood is adjacent to the historically Black Shaw neighborhood and the area formerly known as Black Broadway. Most visitors associate the Ethiopian presence in DC with restaurants, night clubs, or other retail markers. There are some markers remaining, just not as many. In the late 90s, there were upwards of a dozen Ethiopian restaurants on or around 9th St NW between T and U, not counting others on 18th Street in Adams Morgan. Since the introduction of the Metro/subway in this neighborhood (1991 & 1999), the Ethiopian and Eritrean communities have shifted to the suburbs, specifically Silver Spring, MD and Arlington, VA.
More recently the U.S. Census put the 2017 DC metro area Ethiopian population at 37,924, while a 2014 Migration Policy Institute put the number at 35,000.
The 2020 Resolution does designate the area as “Little Ethiopia,” as in the present tense, but it also documents the historic nature of the relationship between the Ethiopia and the U.S. offering a broader scope to the designation beyond a few street signs. Read the full Resolution here and see the signage at the northwest corner of 9th and U NW, near the Nellie’s sports bar.
Fewest Laws Passed in a Generation
This Congress, the 116th, will have presided over the fewest new laws of any Congress in a generation. With legislative activity nearly concluded for the year, and therefore for this Congressional session, just 226 bills, or 1.36% of the 16,557 bills introduced, eventually became enacted law.
That 1.36% and 226 bills total is the lowest percentage and lowest total number of introduced bills to become law since the 93rd Congress (1974, the oldest data set available on GovTrack). However, GovTrack notes that the total number of words in all bills passed has remained consistent, suggesting that there are less bills passed, but they tend to be much larger (longer) now than, say, 50 years ago.
As of this writing the President has not signed H.R. 133 (aka Coronavirus Stimulus Act) into law although he is expected to do so soon. That would bring the total bills passed to 227, still the fewest in a generation.
Since the 93rd Congress (January 1973 - December 1974), the most prolific Congressional sessions were:
95th [Jan 4, 1977 -Oct 15, 1978] with 804 bills becoming law, 3.6% of the 22,313 introduced.
100th [Jan 6, 1987 -Oct 22, 1988] with 761 bills becoming law, 6.7% of just 11,278 introduced.
101st [Jan 3, 1989 -Oct 28, 1990] with 665 bills becoming law, 5.6 % of 11, 787 bills introduced.
Source:
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/statistics
Photos: Signs of Inauguration
Inauguration preparation and construction has begun at the U.S. Capitol Building.
Much of Capitol Hill is being fenced off due to Inauguration preparation.
Presidential stand and audience seating being constructed on the west front of the U.S. Capitol building.
Each year the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree is sourced from a different U.S. National Forest.
The 2020 Capitol Christmas Tree hails from Colorado, specifically the The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests.
To support our work (and for more images) visit Patreon.com/attucksadams.