#DontMuteDC: An Oral History
![#DontMuteDC: An Oral History
Artwork & Design by Xueying Chang
Festival.si.edu
Since 1995, go-go music has emanated from speakers outside a telecommunications store in the Shaw neighborhood of D.C. Though in compliance with city ordinances, the owner was forced to turn his music down after a neighbor from a new luxury condo complained to T-Mobile national headquarters. This precipitated the #DontMuteDC uprising which morphed into an urgent public conversation about gentrification, culture, and racial inequality.
A Howard University and Smithsonian Folklife Festival team captured voices from the movement on June 6, 2019. The recordings and transcripts will be accessible through the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives.](/images/blog/dontmutedc-Store-Front.jpg)
![Donald Campbell, owner of Central Communications (Metro PCS), a cell phone and go-go music store located in the Shaw neighborhood, perhaps the most intensely gentrifying community in the United States
“I thought that go-go music was actually dying, so I wanted to keep it alive. That’s why I started playing the music here in the store every day. Since 1995. I started playing music from 10 o’clock ’til 7 o’clock.”](/images/blog/dontmutedc-Donald.jpg)
![Julien Broomfield, Howard University class of 2019, created #DontMuteDC hashtag on April 7, 2019
“When you think of ‘mute,’ you automatically think of completely cutting out a sound, and music is a vital sound. But I wanted to think even more, so how black people have been muted pretty much our whole lives.”](/images/blog/dontmutedc-Julien.jpg)
![Tone P, Universal Music recording artist and producer who used his national platform to publicize and make music for the movement
“#DontMuteDC is a movement, and a collective of people, who’ve been doing #DontMuteDC things before #DontMuteDC happened. It really just brought people together who was working in different fields to all collectively come and combat a situation, for a thriving business owner being pressured by gentrification.”](/images/blog/dontmutedc-Tone-p.jpg)
![Tony Lewis, author, activist, re-entry specialist, curated #DontMuteDC and #DCNatives photo shoot and musical performance by BLACK ALLEY BAND on April 13, 2019
“It woke up a sleeping giant. It’s become a battle cry. I think it will be etched in history as something that happened, a way to attack injustices done to black people, natives in this city, moving forward.”](/images/blog/dontmutedc-tony.jpg)
![Ronald “Mo” Moten, cultural and peace activist, co-created Don’t Mute DC Go-Go Music and Culture petition on April 7, 2019
“I’ve used go-go in political campaigns. I’ve used go-go to rally people together. I’ve used go-go to bring about peace and truces with our young people. I use go-go to educate people, and so have others. So go-go was just a vehicle that was created, and it goes back to our roots in Africa—where the conga was always used to educate, and motivate, and institutionalize change.”](/images/blog/dontmutedc-ronald.jpg)
![Ronald “Mo” Moten, cultural and peace activist, co-created Don’t Mute DC Go-Go Music and Culture petition on April 7, 2019
“I’ve used go-go in political campaigns. I’ve used go-go to rally people together. I’ve used go-go to bring about peace and truces with our young people. I use go-go to educate people, and so have others. So go-go was just a vehicle that was created, and it goes back to our roots in Africa—where the conga was always used to educate, and motivate, and institutionalize change.”](/images/blog/dontmutedc-wala.jpg)
![Natalie Hopkinson, Howard University assistant professor, author, co-created Don’t Mute DC Go-Go Music and Culture petition
“Go-go music is flowing like the rivers since this happened. And this makes me happy. #DontMuteDC is one of these little sparks that helps us remember what is possible and how powerful we are as a people.”](/images/blog/dontmutedc-natalie.jpg)
Xueying Chang is an intern at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and fine art and documentary photographer, pursuing her master’s degree at George Washington University. She is also a freelance writer, graphic designer, and videographer.