NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?
SUMMARY
The Go-Go Museum & Café in Washington, D.C., is not simply preserving history; it's making sure the beat goes on. Owner and activist Ronald (Moe) Moten and head chef Angelina Rose are the visionaries behind the museum, which combines live music, cultural education, and good food to preserve and celebrate the pulse of the city and its music: Go-Go.
This museum pays homage to a grassroots movement to revive Go-Go in the face of erasure. The museum is a classroom and a stage. It teaches young people how to continue the music while relating the culture of Go-Go through the food they buy and eat. In a city where the identity of any culture is often under siege, this story documents how the next generation is reclaiming the sound of D.C., one song, one meal, and one moment at a time.
News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.
WARM-UP QUESTIONS
- Who founded the Go-Go Museum and Cafe in historic Anacostia, Washington D.C.?
- What gap does the Go-Go Museum and Cafe aim to fill?
- Where does Go-Go music get its musical influences from?
- When did the founder get released from prison?
- How does Go-Go museum and Cafe seek to grow similar opportunities that were available to the founder when he was released from jail?
FOCUS QUESTIONS
Reflect on parts of your community, deserving of similar preservation efforts like Go-Go music, you believe should be uplifted.
- What motivated your decision?
- Was there a community-building aspect informing your answer?
Media literacy: Would endorsements from community members positively-impacted by Go-Go music strengthen the story? Explain.
WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO
- Identify local community meeting points (cafes, parks, libraries, etc) and find ways to continue to build on the the existing motivator that brings the community together.
- Organize spaces at your school or in your community which encourage people, from different backgrounds and upbringings, to exchange ideas to promote more empathy and understanding of differences.
- Advocate for your school to host guest-speakers from your community to help you understand similar efforts. This would allow for you to consider how you would fit into/contribute to your community's efforts to create spaces for everyone.
Written by Kevin Roodnauth, PBS News Hour Classroom's intern and senior at Amherst College, and News Hour's Luke Gerwe.
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