Please join Charles Sumner School Museum on Thursday, June 25, 2026 at 6pm to kick off the 2026 Hurlbut-Walker Memorial Research Forum Series.
This month’s forum is in collaboration with and hosted by the DC History Center and features Rhonda Henderson, who will present on a history of her alma mater, Benjamin Banneker Academic High School.
Rhonda began researching the history of Banneker as a Fellow with Humanities DC, where she explored the youth advocacy for a new Banneker High School Building. She will present on how this project continues to develop and what she has discovered in the Sumner Museum collections that prove the 2019 advocacy was a culmination of nearly four decades of strident parent and student advocacy. What lies in the Sumner Museum archives is critical in relaying the original intention of Banneker High School, and the decades long pursuit for facilitates commensurate with Superintendent Vincent Reed’s vision. These uncovered voices raise questions about educational equity with which we continue to grapple.
In 2016, Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives developed a research forum to honor the life, memory, and contributions of founding director, Richard L. Hurlbut, and first archivist, James Dent Walker. The purpose of the forum is to introduce and engage the public with the Museum collections; promote the work and valued research of individuals who have use the collections as one of their major resources for a finished or developing work; and facilitate lively discussion about the culture, history, and legacy of DC Public Education.
Rhonda Henderson practices oral history and curates public programming about art, education, and culture in Washington, DC.
Henderson is the co-creator of the Dap Project (TDP), a platform that utilizes creative storytelling, community dialogue, and multimedia art to explore how everyday moments reflect identity, history, and belonging. TDP’s work has been exhibited twice at the Anacostia Arts Center, and at other gallery spaces in Washington, DC.
For nearly two decades, Henderson advocated for educational equity as a teacher, school administrator and non-profit leader. She began her career teaching U.S. History, where she integrated arts, literature, and oral history into the history curriculum. In the subsequent years, Henderson remained proximate to the classroom through school-based leadership roles, as well as advising school leaders on matters of assessment and finance.
Henderson earned degrees from Columbia University (B.A. Urban Studies), Harvard Graduate School of Education (Ed.M, Learning and Teaching), and the Darden School of Business at the University (MBA). A resident of Washington, DC, Henderson serves on the boards of organizations at the intersection of culture and advocacy, including Black Swan Academy and Theater Alliance.
Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives is the official museum and archives for DC Public Education. In addition to a public research library, the local gem contains various exhibits documenting the history of the people, places, and movements that make up the DC Public School System. The Sumner School, erected in 1872, is one of the earliest public school buildings for African American children in the nation’s capital. The Museum was founded in 1986 and its mission is to engage diverse audiences by facilitating meaningful discovery, bridging past and present, and fostering a sense of pride in DC Public Education.
For over 130 years the DC History Center has served as Washington, DC’s memory bank. We are the only community-based non-profit focused solely on collecting, preserving, and telling DC stories, from its founding as the nation’s capital to the present moment. Anchored in the Carnegie Library in Downtown, the DC History Center offers programming that matches any level of knowledge or engagement—from youth education and community events to free exhibits and deep research opportunities through our historic collections. For more information, visit us at dchistory.org.
Class Action explores how DC’s Black communities advocated for educational opportunities for their children. Follow your curiosity and deepen your understanding of DC history through educational book talks, game nights, panel discussions, documentary screenings, and more, throughout the year. Connect with family, meet your neighbors, and play with new friends at lively programs meant to encourage civic engagement and inspire you to make a difference in your community.