This website is a living repository of the artifacts generated from research, interviews and engagement Georgetown University students and faculty generated in their work in the Buzzard Point community. This project started as an opportunity to examine environmental justice and gentrification in one of DC’s most unique communities in the tradition of Laudato si’. It is to offer perspective, reflections on how policies impact communities. Finally, the first group to work on this project hope to encourage our colleagues and peers to join us in continuing this work.
Located in South West Washington D.C., and founded in 1800 Buzzard Point is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city. It has a history of inspiration of community leaders. But it also has a history of environmental contamination. Over time, a paper mill, power plant, munitions factory and cement plants have been located in this one neighborhood. Even as the community undergoes a “revitalization”, concerns about the long-term impacts of these hazards persist. Alongside these concerns is the fact that this has been a low-income, mostly African-American community for generations that are finding themselves not only suffering from the the health effects of heavy industry, but being priced out of their neighborhood.
This website explores these issues with a set of story maps that demonstrate the layered hazards present in the community and their impacts on residents. They also explore the missed opportunities for youth engagement. There is a photo gallery which shows the tension between old and new development, a brief paper explaining the policy and legal history of Buzzard Point and a video series taken over the course of the first portfolio of work on this project.