Becoming politically visible in the late ‘60s, a coalition of different Latinos and Latinas began to demand fair access to education, healthcare, and housing. They also sought new avenues for cultural expression and exchange, including festivals and parades, murals, concerts, and street theater. ENLACE was DC’s first Latino LGBT organization. It operated between 1987-1994, connecting immigrant community issues like language access with LGBT rights and AIDS activism. Gathering at Malcolm X Park

Wedged between the chaos of Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights, Meridian Hill Park could easily be overlooked when driving along 16th Street. But the park offers a variety of nice picnic spots. The upper level of the park is a long rectangular lawn with benches, statues, and trees around the perimeter. Staircases lead down from there along a spectacular, cascading fountain—the largest in North America.

Head to Columbia Heights to find this 12-acre park positioned due north of the White House along the longitudinal meridian of D.C. The Park is filled with sculptures and memorials, including statues of Joan of Arc, Dante and James Buchanan, the 15th US President. Pack a picnic and hang out in front of the Cascading Waterfall in the formal garden, or visit the upper mall area, where concerts and events are often staged.

Meridian Hill Park’s rich history can be traced back to 1819, when naval officer David Porter built a mansion on a hill 1.5 miles directly north of the White House. Ten years later, John Quincy Adams moved into the estate after he left the White House. During the Civil War, Union troops used Meridian Hill as an encampment site. It was not until 1936 that Meridian Hill reached formal park status, after more than twenty years of planning and construction.