"I am Ward 8!" William Ellis: Barry Farm
1. Name/Age/Occupation.
William R. Ellis
Age 29 *cough cough :)
I am an Electrical Engineer.
2. Your Neighborhood?
Barry Farm
3. What brought you to Ward 8?
As you may know I’m a life-long, fifth generation DC Resident. I graduated from Woodrow Wilson Sr. High, went to The Catholic University of America for college where I studied Engineering. When I came out of college with a job, I knew I didn’t want to rent, I wanted to buy something. I looked all over the District in 2002 trying to find the best fit. I looked at some 1-bedroom condos in NW, checked out DuPont circle, the southwest waterfront, Petworth, Takoma, and even my Brookland neighborhood. Then I looked at Southeast DC because my NSBE Chapter, National Society of Black Engineers had done some SAT Prep courses at Ballou High School and the SE Tennis and Learning Center. I had also done some planning work for my job in Anacostia. Ultimately, God just made it happen for me. I found a three-bedroom condo just two blocks from the Anacostia subway station for an unbeatable price.
4. How long have you lived in Ward 8?
I have lived in Ward 8 since 2003. It seems like yesterday that I finished school and moved “east of the river”, but now people are really starting to recognize my face when I walk the community. I didn’t move here to become an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, it just kind of turned out that way. Once I got over here, I saw that some kids tend to think there’s only one way to make it, and that’s by selling drugs. They would tell me that selling drugs is the only way to get that house or car you dreamed about, well, besides playing ball. I really wanted the youth to see that everything those drugs dealers had, I had. Whether it is the fancy car, nice rims, plush crib, or fresh shoes; I wanted them to know and see that engineers have a very commendable lifestyle without having to carry a gun, or run from the police. Once I decided to become more involved in my neighborhood, I became president of my condo association. Then our mayor, the “mayor of Barry Farm”, Dorothy Farrell, stepped down as Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner of 8C01 and I didn’t want the position to go unfilled so I decided to run. Now, as ANC Commissioner of 8C01, I’m just trying to live up to her legacy and not let my community down.
5. What do you think is the biggest misconception about Ward 8?
There are two huge misconceptions and not just about Ward 8 but Southeast in general. I will be straight up with you; these misconceptions are spread by people that live in Virginia, and those that don’t travel east of the river. It’s crazy because my college friends somehow, already knew if there was one place not to visit in DC that was Southeast. So the media has done a number on our reputation. I think they heard that we lead the nation in homicides and we became the murder capitol. It gave us a bad name, and we’ve been trying to get rid of it ever since.
The first misconception is crime; people think that you can’t walk down the street without getting robbed, or caught in the middle of a shoot out. What I have to tell people all the time is that there are neighborhoods in NW, NE, and SW that are worse than half of SE. I won’t sit here and name them, but when I was in college, the Brookland neighborhood led DC in robberies - not Anacostia.
I think the other huge misconception is that we are poor. True, Ward 8 might be the poorest Ward in the city, but we have a strong working class base. I always believe if you build it, they will come. Hopefully this will be the model for Big Chair Coffee n’ Grill, which has gotten plenty of business since their initial opening therefore extending their operating hours to fit the needs of the community. My hope is that as ANC Commissioner we can get the Poplar Point development off the ground (Congresswoman Norton that is your cue) and fill the void of family and luxury amenities here in River East.
Lastly, I just want to make my pitch to say, that we here in Ward 8, we are open and looking for diversity in our community; to my knowledge there has been no hate crimes nor racial tension. So regardless of your race, nationality, sexual orientation, or disability, as an ANC Commissioner in Ward 8, I say, “come check us out.” You will happy be happy with how we look, I guarantee it!
It reminds me a lot of myself. We’ve been stereotyped, put down, and slighted in our ability, yet, “Still We Rise.” It also feels good knowing you are a part of change. Knowing that the good you do today in Ward 8 will have a direct impact on the future, the very near future. There is so much going on in Ward 8 for our residents to be proud of, and become a part of. There’s the redevelopment of the St. Elizabeths Campus, proposed Poplar Point development , 11th Street Bridge Project, Street Car Project, Great Streets Project, Sheridan Station, Matthew Memorial Development, Barry Farm New Community, Curtis Brothers Development, South Capitol St. Bridge and that’s just in Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8C.
7. Your Wish for Ward 8?
My hope is that people will take value in small achievements, and use those to grow and learn. As much as we want it nothing happens overnight. Change is here. We have the Savoy Elementary School, which is a LEED Silver building, with state of art class rooms. We have the Salvation Army building, which has a very nice gym, with fitness classes every day for a very reasonable monthly membership. Then we have the Big Chair Coffee n’ Grill, a wonderful coffee shop, with free Wi-Fi and good food. My hope is the people in River East will see the benefits in these little accomplishments. In my opinion these things are not small accomplishments, because to be first, actually takes the most courage. For anything to be successful, you must have a strong base, and I think that’s the change we are seeing here.
If I say “River East” or “East of the River” to out-of- town friends and family, the first thing they ask is “Which river?” :) I like them both; it will be fun to see which one sticks. Maybe we should ask The President.
To contact The Advoc8te or to submit an article for posting on Congress Heights on the Rise email congressheightsontherise@gmail.com.
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