Anacostia Community Museum Archives

Marie Satenik Nahikian papers

Summary

Collection ID:
ACMA.06-123
Creators:
Nahikian, Marie Satenik, 1946-
Dates:
1971-1998
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
5.83 Linear feet
5 boxes
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of community organizer and affordable housing developer Marie Satenik Nahikian measure 3.46 linear feet and date from 1971 to 1998. The collection contains correspondence; certificates; photographs; newsletters; campaign ephemera; editions of various Washington, DC community newspapers; as well as recordings of Nahikian's speeches. The bulk of the collection contains documents pertaining to Nahikian's work with the Adams Morgan Organization.
Scope and Contents
The papers of community organizer and affordable housing developer Marie Satenik Nahikian measure 3.46 linear feet and date from 1971 to 1998. The collection includes copies of the
Rock Creek Monitor
, the newspaper of Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan and Mt. Pleasant communities of Washington, DC. Present in the collection are also proclamations, newspaper clippings, writings by Nahikian and materials related to her role for Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for ANC-1C (in Adams Morgan) and unsuccessful campaign for D.C. City Council.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Marie Satenik Nahikian was a co-founder and the first Executive Director of the Adams Morgan Organization (AMO, founded in 1972). Before Washington, DC had Home Rule, AMO put into practice a local, elected self-governance structure that advocated for issues of concern to residents of the Adams Morgan neighborhood. AMO served as the main model for the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions that were created when Home Rule was implemented in Washington, DC. Marie S. Nahikian, particularly through her work with AMO, was a staunch advocate and partial architect of three landmark pieces of tenant rights and anti-displacement legislation in DC: the 1975 Rental Accommodations Act, the 1978 Residential Real Property Transfer Excise Tax, and the 1980 Rental Housing Conversion and Sale Act.
Nahikian was elected Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for ANC-1C (in Adams Morgan) and twice ran for D.C.City Council (unsuccessfully). She was appointed by Mayor Walter Washington (1915-2003) to serve two terms as a Tenant Commissioner on the D.C. Rental Accommodations Commission. She later served under Mayor Marion Barry (1936-2014) as head of the Tenant Purchase Program that enabled largely low- and moderate-income tenants to purchase and become cooperative owners of their buildings.
After leaving Washington, DC, she went on to work for Mayors in Philadelphia and New York City. Nahikian also worked in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Barack Obama.
In 2023, Marie Satenik Nahikian hosts the Usable Past podcast, where activists share their stories of past and present organizing to create better lives for as many people as possible.

Administration

Author
ACM Staff
Sponsor
This project received support from the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative.
Processing Information
The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Amelia J. Verkerk in 2022.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.
Preferred Citation
Marie Satenik Nahikian papers, Anacostia Community Museum, Smithsonian Institution. Gift of Marie Satenik Nahikian.
Conditions Governing Use
The Marie Satenik Nahikian papers are the physical property of the Anacostia Community Museum. Literary and copyright belong to the author/creator or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, and to obtain permission to publish or reproduce, contact the Museum Archives.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Urban Life Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Community activists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Community Organizations Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Adams Morgan (Washington, D.C.) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Newspapers -- Washington (D.C.). Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Contact sheets Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs -- Black-and-white negatives -- 20th century Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Audio cassettes -- 20th century Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Shackleton, Polly , 1910-1997 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Barry, Marion, 1936-2014 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Washington, Walter E., 1915-2003 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hill, Fannie, 1923-1987 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sizemore, Barbara, 1927-2004 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Pinkett, Flaxie Madison, 1918-1995 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Pierce, Walter C., 1946-1991 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Fauntroy, Walter E. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Clarke, David "Dave", 1943-1997 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Shia, Nancy, 1947- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Anacostia Community Museum Archives
1901 Fort Place, SE
Washington, D.C. 20020
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-4853
ACMArchives@si.edu