About the photographer

Nancy Shia is a Silver Owl in the National Press Club. She's been photographing the neighborhoods of Adams Morgan and Mount Pleasant in Washington DC since the early 1970s. She's also photographed protests, demonstrations, acts of civil disobedience and direct action in DC for the past 40+ years, as well as a myriad of national and international political and cultural leaders who have spoken in the National Press Club over the past 30 years. Her work on community can be seen in the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum. Her activist work is occasionally seen on posters and flyers wheat-pasted on plywood boards and street lamp posts around the city. The images in the 2021 NPC Photography Show are from Columbia Road in Adams Morgan, the street where Nancy Shia has live for 45 years.

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Nancy Shia: Electronic images

Shia image 1

1982 March for El Salvador on Columbia Road

One group supporting the F.D.R. (Frente Democratico Revolucionario) and the FMLN (Farabundo Martī Liberación Revolucionario) marches down Columbia Road in front of Casa Lebrato in March 1982.
During the 1970s and 1980s, there were a lot of protest marches that flowed down Columbia Road NW between 16th Street and 18th Street. This specific march was calling for an end to the violent "death squads" in El Salvador.
More about this photo: https://outmywindowbynancyshia.org/

Shia image 2

1989 Latinx woman carries bag on her head on Columbia Road NW

The neighborhood of Adams Morgan in Washington DC was a home to many Central Americans escaping civil war in El Salvador and Nicaragua. There were many bodegas, restaurants and small shops on Columbia Road owned by Central American refugees. There were also Central American vendors lined up in the 1700 block of Columbia on many Saturdays and Sundays. Columbia Road was a neighborhood gathering place for a lot of immigrants.
This image also appears in the print photo display.
More about this photo: https://outmywindowbynancyshia.org/

Shia image 3

1982 Curb Your Dogma

Marching for the liberation of the people of El Salvador, a group of young people carry a large street-width banner saying "Curb Your Dogma" in the 1700 block of Columbia Road NW.
During the 1970s and 1980s, there were a lot of protest marches that flowed down Columbia Road NW between 16th Street and 18th Street. This specific march was calling for an end to the violent "death squads" in El Salvador.
This image also appears in the print photo display.
More about this photo: https://outmywindowbynancyshia.org/