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DC History Center Presents: Who Feeds the District?

Tuesday January 25, 2022

Located immediately adjacent to Mount Vernon Triangle inside of the Carnegie Library at Mount Vernon Square, the DC History Center is a library and museum that provides free access to exhibits and programs about the diverse stories of Washington, DC. Its mission is to deepen understanding of our city’s past to connect, empower, and inspire.

In support of that mission, on Thursday, January 27 from 7-8:30pm it will host a featured panel entitled, “Who Feeds the District? Immigrant Foodways, From Cultural Diplomacy to COVID Closures” featuring: Sileshi Alifom, Ana Reyes, Andy Shallal (Busboys and Poets 450K owner), and Amy Riolo. The panel will take a closer look at who works in restaurants and the critical role immigrants have long played in DC food systems, from the opening of the city’s first Ethiopian restaurant in 1978 to community anchors such as El Tamarindo, which opened in 1982, that have offered stability through successive waves of neighborhood development.

“Who Feeds the District?” is the latest installment in the DC History Center’s Context for Today series of online conversations with thoughtful and thought-provoking historians, activists, journalists, and community members.