Two Washington, D.C.-area high school students have created an interactive app that highlights the history of civil rights in the District.
Lily and Eliza Dorton, co-founders of the DC Civil Rights Tour app, have an instrument providing an easy way for residents and tourists to learn more about the civil rights movement in the city.
The Dorton sisters, who attend the Holton-Arms School in Bethesda., Md., wanted to focus on places where African Americans challenged segregation and broke down barriers in the face of oppression.
“Washington, D.C. and our country have been shaped by the dedication and hope of Black Americans,” the sisters said in a statement. “Black Americans were leading the fight for equal rights. As kids living in the D.C. area, we wanted to create a tour reflecting the truth about civil rights in Washington, D.C. so that everyone, including young people, can learn more about this important history.”
The app showcases an interactive map that aids users navigate their way through 17 locations with visuals, audio recordings, and synopses telling the stories of each landmark and the people connected to them.
The app, available to download through both Apple App Store and Google Play, includes stories about the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House, the U Street neighborhood in Northwest, the Frederick Douglass House, the U.S. Capitol and Black Lives Matter Plaza.
For more information, go to their website, https://www.civilrightshistorydc.com, or follow their social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
I am a native of the DC area. I grew up in the suburbs of DC; Silver Spring, MD. I moved to the Hampton Roads area in 2014.
Washington DC & Baltimore have some much unknown history, including Arlington VA, that once upon a time was a part of DC.
My background is in human services, although, I am changing fields but remaining in the health industry. While living in the area, I worked for the Department of Health and Human Services in NE DC. I also worked in PG County in the same capacity.
This mission you’re creating is desperately needed. If our history was taught outside of Martin Luther King, those educators would lose their jobs and schools would not receive any government fundings.