Events
Learn more about important topics and issues in our community’s history—and meet folks with shared interests—by attending thought-provoking and lively events offered throughout the year.
Sign up for our email list for advance notice of upcoming events presented by or in association with Rainbow History Project.
Upcoming events
Queer Black Broadway Walking Tour (With Off the Mall Tours)
Friday, October 23 | 6:00 pm
620 T Street NW, Washington, DC 20004
Off the Mall Tours and the Rainbow History Project are offering this amazing tour in partnership! The U Street Corridor was known as “Black Broadway” in its heyday of the early 20th Century. From the Prohibition Era to the Civil Rights Movement, it was also the center for social justice and fringe movements that fought to bring more opportunity for marginalized groups, including an active Queer community that was associated with the Harlem Renaissance, the Pansy Craze, underground crime worlds, and the wide world of entertainment.
More info:
This 1.5 hour walking tour begins at Howard Theater and ends at Thurst Lounge, DC’s first queer black-owned bar. Rainbow History Project’s mission is to collect, preserve and promote the history and culture of the LGBTQ community in metropolitan Washington, D.C.
Queer Life in the Early Republic - Dr. Matt Champagne Talk
Saturday, October 24 | 1:30 pm
Southwest Neighborhood Library: Meeting Room 2
900 Wesley Pl SW, Washington, DC 20024
Adams Morgan Deep History Tour (10/28/2026)
Wednesday, October 28 | 10:30 am
Adams Morgan Plaza, in front of the Jubilee Housing building at the southwest corner of 18th Street and Columbia Road NW.
This event is not a Rainbow History Project Event
Adams Morgan Day Deep History Tour
Spend part of the day with Eddie Becker on a lively, thoughtful walk through the hidden history of Adams Morgan.
Beyond its nightlife and rising real estate prices, this neighborhood holds layered stories of Indigenous life, colonial conquest, slavery, segregation, redlining, migration, resistance, and gentrification. Together, we will trace how these forces shaped the streets beneath our feet—and how residents have repeatedly organized to claim dignity, freedom, and a place to belong.
Adams Morgan has also been a refuge and crossroads for people carrying struggles across borders. Along the route, we will explore its connections to liberation movements and political exile communities from Central America, Chile, and Eritrea.
Eddie Becker is a documentarian and investigative archivist who has spent decades uncovering overlooked histories and chronicling activism, resistance, and neighborhood change.
This approximately 1.5-hour tour covers about three-quarters of a mile at an easy walking pace.
This is a free tour.
Hidden in Plain Sight: The Story of Odessa Madre
Friday, October 30 | 6:00 pm
2021 14th Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20009
A community conversation about the stories we tell, the histories we risk losing, and the power of being remembered.
Community Pioneers Class of 2026 Ceremony + Gathering
Sunday, November 8 | 2:00 pm
Heurich House Museum
Join Rainbow History Project on Sunday, November 8th, from 2:00–5:00pm at the Heurich House Museum as we celebrate the Community Pioneers Class of 2026. The ceremony and gathering includes lite food and drink, with a suggested donation of $20 and RSVP required.
Past events
Learn more about our public panels and programs. Many of our past public panels and programs have been recorded on video and are available for viewing on the RHP YouTube channel.
Walking tours
Get to know historic LGBTQ neighborhoods with guided or self-guided walking tours.