TAKING THE TURN

When it opened in 1939, Langston was one of only 20 golf courses in the United States open to blacks

Langston Golf Course stands as a shrine of African American golf history in Washington DC, and has a legacy steeped in phenomenal stories of perseverance, persistence, and faith. In 2019 a group of local business owners and concerned citizens colloquially referring to themselves as “Friends of Langston,” met to discuss strategies to keep this amazing legacy alive through activities that focus on stewardship and community engagement. Now formally, the Langston Golf Course Conservancy, the board of directors established a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, dedicating its activities to raising funds in support of course revitalization, youth and collegiate golf empowerment programs, community development, and cultural preservation in and around the neighborhood surrounding the historic Langston Golf Course

The Langston Golf Course, named after John Mercer Langston (the first African American elected to the United States Congress from Virginia, and the first dean of the Howard University School of Law) opened in 1939. Mercer Langston was the uncle of famous writer and poet Langston Hughes. Prior to the founding of Langston, African Americans played golf at the Lincoln Memorial (now West Potomac Park). The other public courses in the city were for whites only.

Black men and women golfers lobbied the federal government for inclusion and Langston was the compromise

The Capital City Golf Club was founded in 1928 as a club for black men and was eventually renamed the Royal Golf Club in 1933 The Wake Robin Golf Club, the city's first black female golf club and the first of its kind in the United States, was organized in 1937

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Both clubs joined forces to demand that the federal government desegregate the city's public golf courses

In 1938, the clubs petitioned Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes for access to public courses funded by their federal taxes Instead, Ickes permitted construction of a golf course for blacks on an abandoned trash site Langston thus began as a ninehole golf course Both clubs continued to fight for the desegregation of all public golf courses In 1941 Ickes issued a desegregation order at the city's federal courses It would take longer for local white golfers to accept it

The Langston Golf Course in Anacostia Park was opened as a 9-hole course in 1939 (and expanded to 18 holes in the 1950s). It was constructed with the help of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Project Administration (WPA). Langston Golf Course, which was always open to all, quickly became a popular course It attracted local residents and celebrities, including singer Billy Eckstine, golfer Lee Elder, and boxer Joe Louis It is operated by the National Park Service as part of Anacostia Park and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991

Today, the course is popularly regarded as the best public golf course in the District of Columbia As one of the first courses in the country specifically built for use by African Americans during segregation, its mere existence is a miracle and many people persevered for a long time to make it come to fruition The history and the people who have been involved there make it a special place. The Conservancy seeks to bring awareness and increased resources to innovative programs and projects that preserve and perpetuate the rich history, legacy, and full potential of Langston Golf Course. We hope you will join us in these efforts!