Anacostia isn’t the only area of DC with roots rich in black history. Duke Ellington was born and raised in Washington's Shaw neighborhood and played in his first band here. The music legend’s influence is still evident throughout the city, especially in the U Street Corridor—dubbed “Black Broadway”—where Ellington grew up and where jazz greats like Cab Calloway, Pearl Bailey and Jelly Roll Morton once played. A clearly marked neighborhood heritage trail points out landmarks like the Lincoln Theatre, the newly restored historic Howard Theatre, the African American Civil War Memorial and the Thurgood Marshall Center for Justice and Heritage, home of the first African American YMCA. Nearby, Howard University is one of the nation’s top historically black colleges.

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