Sociolinguist Jessica Grieser brings together ten years of interviews with the residents of Anacostia in THE BLACK SIDE OF THE RIVER, and explores the changes over time through the lens of language use. A historically black neighborhood in Washington DC, gentrification has played a huge role in transforming the landscape of Anacostia, with a big impact on the Black population. In THE BLACK SIDE OF THE RIVER, Jessica Grieser asks what does gentrification mean for the fabric of a community? And how do we see this through language? Grieser unwraps how residents use certain speech features to create connections among racial, place, and class identities; reject negative characterizations of place from those outside the community; and negotiate ideas of belonging. Anacostians use language to assert a positive, hopeful place identity that is inextricably intertwined with their racial one. Grieser's work is a call to center Black lived experiences in urban research, confront the racial effects of urban change, and preserve the rich culture and community in historic Black neighborhoods, in Washington, DC, and beyond. Jessi brings the conversation back to where it came from, joining Busboys at our Anacostia location, with one of the interviewees for the book, Troy Donté Prestwood This event is free and open to all, accessible through our Facebook and Youtube pages (@busboysandpoets).

We recommend that attendees RSVP in order to receive updates on the event from Busboy and Poets Books

Jessica Grieser is Associate Professor of Linguistics in the Department of English at the University of Tennessee. Her research focuses on the use of African American English style in the creation and maintenance of identities which are not necessarily ethnoracial in nature, particularly identities of place and class. Her book, The Black Side of the River: Race, Language, and Belonging in Washington, D.C. is published by Georgetown University Press.

Troy Donté Prestwood is a community architect, change agent and communications expert. He is an award-winning CEO of the Prestwood Group, a full-service communications, media, and business consultancy based in Washington, DC. A fourth-generation Washingtonian, Troy co-founded River East Emerging Leaders (r.e.e.l.), a 501 (c)(3) leadership collective that engages and empowers the community. He is also a former elected official having served three terms as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner and Chairman of ANC 8A. He currently serves as vice chair of WAMU-FM’s (NPR) Community Board and on the board of directors for LEARN DC Public Charter School.