Ulysses Banks

Ulysses J. Banks (1919 – 1964) served as President of the Barry Farm Civic Association, advocating for residents when the Planning Commission wanted to redevelop the neighborhood in 1947. Banks testified before the House Appropriations Committee, explaining why Barry Farm’s history mattered: it was home to African Americans after the Emancipation Proclamation and was an important site for Black life in the city. His efforts were successful, and when Congress passed the Housing Act of 1949, it included a provision prohibiting redevelopment in Barry Farm.

In 1977, the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum’s Board of Directors voted to include Banks’ portrait in “Phil Ratner’s Washington,” an exhibition honoring current and former Anacostia residents who contributed to the civic life of the community.