The naming of streets and places creates a living history, connecting past to present. Examining street naming can help us identify and explore important figures in history. However, like many other processes, street naming can sometimes center certain voices and stories over others. Developed in partnership with the District of Columbia Public Schools Office of Equity’s “Critical Conversations” Ethnic Studies curriculum, this teaching collection coincides with unit #3, "Hegemony and Counter-hegemony."

Explore the namesakes of Washington, D.C.’s streets, avenues, neighborhoods and other public spaces in the National Portrait Gallery's exhibition “Block by Block: Naming Washington.” Featuring reproductions of 16 portraits, drawn mostly from the museum’s collection, the exhibition presents the faces and biographies behind some of the city’s most familiar locations.

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