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Thanks a Bunche
Brookland Residents Propose Memorial for Famed District Diplomat, Ralph J. Bunche
Rafiah Davis
Issue date: 2/22/01 Section: City
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Ralph J. Bunche, a diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner, was a resident of Brookland, and some Brookland residents would like to see a national memorial honoring him built in their neighborhood.
Those advocating a memorial for Bunche believe the time is right for a memorial because the National Capital Planning Commission is currently taking nominations for national memorial locations. The commission has already identified 102 sites in the city for memorials, and Brookland residents would like their neighborhood to be added to this list.
Denise Liebowitz, spokesperson for the commission, said the commission only chooses site locations, not what goes on the sites. She added that she would be interested to hear the proposal for the Bunche Memorial.
“If there is a strong interest in the community,” Liebowitz said, “they should tell us.”
Andrew Thomas and John Feeley point out that Bunche was just one of many black notables who lived in the Brookland area in the 1920s and ‘30s. Many Howard University professors also built homes in the area.
Both men believe a memorial to Bunche will bring attention to the wealth of history the neighborhood has to offer.
“He was a prominent black man [who] lived here in Brookland,” Thomas said.
“Having a memorial site here would draw people in,” Feeley said.
Although Bunche’s house, at 1510 Jackson St. N.E., is a stop on many historical walking tours, his memory is not preserved as it should be, Thomas said.
“Most young black people don’t know who Ralph Bunche was,” he said.
While living in the District, Bunche was a professor at Howard and founder of its political science department.
As a member of the United Nations, he participated in the mediation efforts in 1947 that resulted in the recognition of the state of Israel.
The Detroit native was also an active member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and served on its board for 22 years. In 1949, Bunche was awarded the NAACP’s highest award, the Springarn Medal.
A year later, Bunche was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of negotiating four cease-fire agreements that halted the 1948-1949 Arab-Israeli War. He was the first black person to receive this award.
Bunche died in 1971 at age 67.
The information about the proposed memorial sites is posted on the commission’s Web site www.ncpc.gov. Until March 2, anyone can give feedback about the sites or suggest some of their own.
E-mail Rafiah Davis at RafiahD@yahoo.com.
Those advocating a memorial for Bunche believe the time is right for a memorial because the National Capital Planning Commission is currently taking nominations for national memorial locations. The commission has already identified 102 sites in the city for memorials, and Brookland residents would like their neighborhood to be added to this list.
Denise Liebowitz, spokesperson for the commission, said the commission only chooses site locations, not what goes on the sites. She added that she would be interested to hear the proposal for the Bunche Memorial.
“If there is a strong interest in the community,” Liebowitz said, “they should tell us.”
Andrew Thomas and John Feeley point out that Bunche was just one of many black notables who lived in the Brookland area in the 1920s and ‘30s. Many Howard University professors also built homes in the area.
Both men believe a memorial to Bunche will bring attention to the wealth of history the neighborhood has to offer.
“He was a prominent black man [who] lived here in Brookland,” Thomas said.
“Having a memorial site here would draw people in,” Feeley said.
Although Bunche’s house, at 1510 Jackson St. N.E., is a stop on many historical walking tours, his memory is not preserved as it should be, Thomas said.
“Most young black people don’t know who Ralph Bunche was,” he said.
While living in the District, Bunche was a professor at Howard and founder of its political science department.
As a member of the United Nations, he participated in the mediation efforts in 1947 that resulted in the recognition of the state of Israel.
The Detroit native was also an active member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and served on its board for 22 years. In 1949, Bunche was awarded the NAACP’s highest award, the Springarn Medal.
A year later, Bunche was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of negotiating four cease-fire agreements that halted the 1948-1949 Arab-Israeli War. He was the first black person to receive this award.
Bunche died in 1971 at age 67.
The information about the proposed memorial sites is posted on the commission’s Web site www.ncpc.gov. Until March 2, anyone can give feedback about the sites or suggest some of their own.
E-mail Rafiah Davis at RafiahD@yahoo.com.
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