Some people think of systemic racism as a thing of the distant past, especially if they happen to live in a part of the country which in the 19th century fought for freeing the slaves. But institutional racism was alive even in the later half of the 20th century, and in some senses is alive even today. I would bet that there are some practices today that future generations will look at and say – how could we have accepted that? The current state of the national education system comes to mind in this regard. The video below presents life experiences of people who lived, and are living, some of these experiences, told through the story of the bridge. Not all stories make it to the limelight.
Talbot Avenue Bridge will eventually be demolished and replaced by a new bridge that is a part of the Purple Line project for light commuter rail. I understand that parts of the original bridge will be saved and moved to locations where they can be used as memorials to remind us of our history.
P.S. I biked across the Talbot Avenue bridge last year as part of training for my long ride. The bridge is a part of the Georgetown Branch trail, which is an extension of the Capital Crescent Trail.
Splattered Brains 