And that act of “nouveau-Columbusing” — showing up someplace and acting as if history started the moment you arrived — is directly germane to the discussion of gentrification in the District.
Over the past month, I’ve sat on three panels discussing differentaspects of the changing qualities of Washington. And what’s clear to me is that, although the sting of displacement is understandably harsh, too many black Washingtonians are doing their own brand of nouveau-Columbusing when it comes to the history of the city.
