By D.W.G. Kalani Tharanga, JadeTimes News
A thriving all Black community flourished just outside Washington, D.C., until its nearly 1,000 residents were forcibly displaced. Now, this little known "city" is finally being honored.
The stout, jug like structure rises 35 feet above Arlington, Virginia's Metropolitan Park, a green oasis set amid Amazon's new HQ2 headquarters. Constructed from approximately 5,000 red bricks, the building feels both industrial and earthy. Inside, hundreds of glazed ceramic bulbs cascade in waves of blue, green, and brown. This is Queen City, an art installation paying homage to the 903 African American residents of the eponymous all Black community, as well as the surrounding East Arlington neighborhood, who were forcibly removed in the early 1940s to make way for The Pentagon's construction.
The Displacement of a Community
"What they did to us was an atrocity," said 93 year old Dr. William Vollin, who recalls his childhood in Queen City before his family was displaced. The community had a Black fire department, churches, barbershops, and various businesses, creating a tight knit environment despite the lack of running water or electricity. "It was like one big family," Vollin reminisced.
Queen City's story begins at Arlington House, the Neoclassical mansion established in the early 1800s by John Parke Custis. Enslaved individuals from George Washington's estate built Arlington House and worked on the property. After the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, the federal government established Freedman's Village on the Arlington House property, which later became Arlington National Cemetery. The village thrived, with clapboard houses, schools, and churches. Notable figures such as Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth were associated with the village, which became a hub for formerly enslaved workers.
However, by 1900, the thriving village had been dismantled, with few residents fairly compensated. Many former residents moved to other Black neighborhoods in Arlington or Washington, D.C. In 1892, Mount Olive Baptist Church, founded in Freedman's Village, bought two acres nearby and sold lots to displaced congregants. By 1940, over 200 African American households lived in this new community, known as East Arlington. Queen City was a 4.5 acre area within East Arlington.
The Legacy of Queen City
"We scattered all over the place," Vollin said. Many former residents never saw each other again, moving north or south, or to other neighborhoods. After being contacted by a lawyer hired by residents, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt secured temporary trailers for some families, including Vollin's, in the Arlington neighborhoods of Johnson's Hill (now Arlington View) and Green Valley. "The trailer camp was filthy," Vollin recalled, describing the living conditions as deplorable.
Despite becoming a successful educator, Vollin has never forgotten how his family and others were treated. "In my research," he said, "eminent domain is supposed to enhance an area, but they used it to destroy our community the families, the businesses, the hopes, and dreams. I deem that as an atrocity."
For many Americans, Queen City's story remained unknown until recently, when artist Nekisha Durrett created the eponymous installation. Durrett discovered the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington's display about the vanished community while researching art ideas for Amazon's new headquarters. "Everyone knows how quickly The Pentagon was built, but it's never mentioned that people’s lives were upended for this to happen," she said.
Learning the actual number of displaced residents, Durrett wanted to highlight the significance of each affected life. "I wanted to make that number known," she said. Consulting with historians like Dr. Scott Taylor and meeting descendants of Queen City residents, Durrett visualized the displaced community as individual vessels, using pottery to symbolize their lives. The brick exterior of the installation evokes a well, referencing the community's lack of running water and the children's responsibility to fetch fresh water from a nearby spring.
Visiting the installation, Margot Eyring, an artist and former professor involved in racial justice work for over 45 years, said, "I love how the installation continues to tell the story. It's allowing beauty to speak the truth about hard things. Hopefully, it will help people understand how policy affects people."