Abstract Arturo Griffiths tells the story of how he got involved as a Latino immigrant teenager in the very first D.C. Latino Festivals held in Adams Morgan. He tells the story of various presidents, many of whom were elected before he was elected President in 1987. Griffiths, together with his committee, organized the last D.C. Latino Festival to b e held in the Adams Morgan neighborhood. In 1989 Griffiths took the Festival “downtown” – to the grounds of the Washington Monument. He tells the story...

Scope and Contents

Arturo Griffiths discusses his childhood in Panama, his family's move to DC, learning English, attending Howard University, his political awakening, DC's latino community, Mayor Barry's relationship with the latino community, the ways in which the 1991 riot affected latinos in Mount Pleasant, and the effects of gentrification in the neighborhood.