Our names are Eliza and Lily Dorton, we are sisters, 18 and 20 years old, and have lived in Washington, D.C. our entire lives with our younger brother and parents. As young people living in our nation’s capital, we have been on countless field trips to Smithsonian Museums, the National Mall, and other landmarks. We have also learned about Civil Rights consistently in school. However, in 2020, we realized that we had never specifically learned about the Civil Rights Movement in our hometown of DC.

We found it remarkable that we couldn’t find a Washington, DC tour specific to the Civil Rights Movement --and even more remarkable that we had not given it any thought before. The two of us wanted to create a way for not only tourists but also people who reside in the Washington area to learn about the complex and sometimes hidden history of civil rights right here in Washington.

During a time when in equality was flooding the neighborhoods of DC, there are many locations where black culture thrived. There are also places where Black Americans broke boundaries, held meetings, resided and led the fight to achieve equal rights. The tour focuses on these locations that were significant during the Civil Rights Movement but are not necessarily mainstream museums or pointed out in guidebooks.

As kids living in the DC area, we believe it is important for everyone, especially young people and new generations to learn both the good and bad history of Washington DC’s rich past.