STUDENT TAKES JOURNEY THROUGH BARRY FARM By Angela Richardson
Barry Farm, a desolate place full of crime and violence, will be torn down for redevelopment and gentrification. However, the oldest African American neighborhood, which will soon be turned from a low-income public housing project into a mixed-income community, is full of history that goes beyond its present day reputation.
Howard University student, junior finance major Shomari Levy, was able to have the opportunity to journey through the historic Barry Farm neighborhood, a neighborhood that is historically known as place for freed slaves to live and develop themselves in order to become productive in society.
The purpose of Levy’s journey was solely to make a film for his Comparative Black Literature class; however, after arriving in Barry Farm, Levy was able to see what how he connected to the area and was able to relate beyond the class assignment.
“My first experience in Barry Farm was like wow!” said Levy. “The houses looked dirty and there was no sense of pride in that area. I felt like the harsh image showed me how the people really didn’t too much about their environment or they gave up on trying.”
Prior to 20th century shrinkage, Barry Farm was owned James Barry, who eventually sold the land to the Freedman’s Bureau in 1867. The Freedman’s Bureau distributed the land as settlements for freed slaves.
During this shrinkage in the 20th century, approximately in 1913, railroad tracks were built, which cut Barry Farms from Poplar Point, an area that was on the west side of the initial large homestead; and, the early 1950s, Suitland Parkway was built, isolating the neighborhood between busy traffic routes. From this, in 1954, the city of Washington built a single, large public-housing community which still stands today.
Today, Barry Farm has a reputation of violent crime, poverty, and neglect.
“I choose Barry Farm [for my project] because when I first came to DC, a few people told me how bad it was and how the young boys over there are big time drug dealers and murders,” said Levy. “I took that message as pain and felt that I needed to see what the real reasons why things over there are dangerous. Plus, when you live in the hood or live around the hood in your neighborhood, you don’t view things the same when you leave and see another person’s environment.”
“At first I really didn’t know what to expect, because everyone was telling me all these negative scenarios; but, to be honest, those negative comments made me want to film the area even more,” said Levy. “I thought that I could meet a few people and get interviews, but I found out that I couldn’t because the people will not speak to you if they don’t know you, and, better yet, won’t accept you into their neighborhood. That is what shocked me the most.”
Levy, a native of Manchester, Connecticut who transferred to Howard University this semester from Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, Massachusetts, grew up in a good neighborhood. However, during his senior year of high school, when the economy began to weaken and things got rough, Levy, along with his mother and two sisters, moved to Massachusetts into an area similar to the environment of Barry Farm. Growing up in a single parent household and seeing the struggles of his fellow residents, the same struggles residents of Barry Farm deal with, allowed Levy to be able to relate and connect to the people of the area.
“I feel like most people don’t appreciate films or documentaries like mine or many others because they don’t really have empathy for people in those kinds of circumstances,” said Levy. “As I continued to go to Barry Farm and Southeast everyday I learned something new and I began to feel sad and see the pain that they go through.”
Although the neighborhood has been known for its negative reputation, there are residents there who truly care about the future of Barry Farm. The Barry Farm Resident Council, Inc. is one organization that is truly committed to changing the current reputation of the neighborhood.
Formed in 1987 to provide services to the Barry Farm community in Southeast Washington, DC, the Barry Farm Resident Council Inc. is a resident-run non-profit organization that has offered its community a number of programs and services over the years. These services include: after school tutoring, youth programs, food and clothing distribution, micro-enterprise development, GED and computer literacy.
Howard University student, junior finance major Shomari Levy, was able to have the opportunity to journey through the historic Barry Farm neighborhood, a neighborhood that is historically known as place for freed slaves to live and develop themselves in order to become productive in society.
The purpose of Levy’s journey was solely to make a film for his Comparative Black Literature class; however, after arriving in Barry Farm, Levy was able to see what how he connected to the area and was able to relate beyond the class assignment.
“My first experience in Barry Farm was like wow!” said Levy. “The houses looked dirty and there was no sense of pride in that area. I felt like the harsh image showed me how the people really didn’t too much about their environment or they gave up on trying.”
Prior to 20th century shrinkage, Barry Farm was owned James Barry, who eventually sold the land to the Freedman’s Bureau in 1867. The Freedman’s Bureau distributed the land as settlements for freed slaves.
During this shrinkage in the 20th century, approximately in 1913, railroad tracks were built, which cut Barry Farms from Poplar Point, an area that was on the west side of the initial large homestead; and, the early 1950s, Suitland Parkway was built, isolating the neighborhood between busy traffic routes. From this, in 1954, the city of Washington built a single, large public-housing community which still stands today.
Today, Barry Farm has a reputation of violent crime, poverty, and neglect.
“I choose Barry Farm [for my project] because when I first came to DC, a few people told me how bad it was and how the young boys over there are big time drug dealers and murders,” said Levy. “I took that message as pain and felt that I needed to see what the real reasons why things over there are dangerous. Plus, when you live in the hood or live around the hood in your neighborhood, you don’t view things the same when you leave and see another person’s environment.”
“At first I really didn’t know what to expect, because everyone was telling me all these negative scenarios; but, to be honest, those negative comments made me want to film the area even more,” said Levy. “I thought that I could meet a few people and get interviews, but I found out that I couldn’t because the people will not speak to you if they don’t know you, and, better yet, won’t accept you into their neighborhood. That is what shocked me the most.”
Levy, a native of Manchester, Connecticut who transferred to Howard University this semester from Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, Massachusetts, grew up in a good neighborhood. However, during his senior year of high school, when the economy began to weaken and things got rough, Levy, along with his mother and two sisters, moved to Massachusetts into an area similar to the environment of Barry Farm. Growing up in a single parent household and seeing the struggles of his fellow residents, the same struggles residents of Barry Farm deal with, allowed Levy to be able to relate and connect to the people of the area.
“I feel like most people don’t appreciate films or documentaries like mine or many others because they don’t really have empathy for people in those kinds of circumstances,” said Levy. “As I continued to go to Barry Farm and Southeast everyday I learned something new and I began to feel sad and see the pain that they go through.”
Although the neighborhood has been known for its negative reputation, there are residents there who truly care about the future of Barry Farm. The Barry Farm Resident Council, Inc. is one organization that is truly committed to changing the current reputation of the neighborhood.
Formed in 1987 to provide services to the Barry Farm community in Southeast Washington, DC, the Barry Farm Resident Council Inc. is a resident-run non-profit organization that has offered its community a number of programs and services over the years. These services include: after school tutoring, youth programs, food and clothing distribution, micro-enterprise development, GED and computer literacy.
The overall goal of the Council is “to move public housing residents toward self-sufficiency and to improve the quality of life in the community.”
“After filming Barry Farm, I still think my film only gives you a glimpse, but people really need to witness it for themselves in order to have an open mind,” said Levy. “I've been around the hood and the projects; but now that I am in college, I see things differently. I see that many of these men and women are headed down the wrong path, but they do not realize it because they are so focus on the present rather than the future as well.”
“Even though I am finish with my film, the drama, the drugs, the killing, the prostitution, the horrible education, and the babies having babies do not end with the film; this cycle will continue,” said Levy. “Leaders, politicians, and especially black people of DC need to pay attention to this area and help revitalize it because the younger generation is getting caught up and if things do not change, the cycle will continue.”