D.C.'s Reading Problem

Aired on NPR's Latino USA

On May 5, 1991, the streets of one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Washington D.C., were filled with rioters and tear gas. The city hadn’t seen a disturbance like this since the day Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated and there hasn’t been anything like it since.

Mount Pleasant Riots

Dam Radio Story

Blinded by the Light

Lou, The Crossing Guide

Fort Meade's Secrets

Missed Monuments

AudioGift Sample

The Brooks Mansion

When you walk through the gates of the Goodman League, peoples' eyes are glued on the basketball players as they rush back and forth on the court, sweaty and tattooed. The games are located in the Southeast DC neighborhood of Barry Farm. There's quick-witted announcing by league commissioner, Miles Rawls, bleachers full of fans from all over the city and region and the smell of frying fish.

There's another presence at the game you may not expect. Along the midline of the court, three women, sometimes four, sit for nearly every game, in foldout canvas chairs.

They are called the First Ladies. Tangie Travers, of Hyattsville, Md., explains, "It's a respected name, and it came from coming to the games and showing support and showing love."

Goodman League - Full Spectrum Application

emilybberman