Bipeds of Brookland: Sandy Hassan

Bipeds of Brookland: Sandy Hassan

Sandy Hassan was born in Washington DC. “The first school that I could not go to, which was across the street from my house, was Phillis Wheatley, named after a black poet, and black kids couldn’t go there.” Instead she traveled by bus to get to another school at age 5. At the age of 10 she was finally allowed to go to Wheatley, thanks to the Supreme Court decision.

She served as a marshal at the March on Washington in 1963.  Unfortunately, her duties placed her far from the stage, but she did get to usher Malcolm X to the front. She was also member of SNCC  at Howard University​, and in the 1960s went with integrated groups to Virginia to see if they would be served in restaurants. “We never got served.”

She was a dancer for many years of her life. “I danced with African Heritage Dancers and Drummers​; it was first group in the city that relied on African traditional dance and dress.” Sandy no longer dances, but says “I quilt every day. The very first quilts I made were for my children when they were babies, because I always thought babies were supposed to have a handmade quilt. Probably the highlight of my quilting career was when B. Smith (www.bsmith.com) came to the house to do a photoshoot, which was eventually a segment on her nationally televised program.”

She joined the Daughters of Dorcas and the Uhuru Quilters. Sandy has sold quilts at craft fairs and has a website (sondrahassan.com) to showcase her work. “I got a call from the Smithsonian​ and they asked if they could see my quilts. Then they asked if they could sell them at the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture."​ They are also pictured on a museum sign at 14th and Constitution Ave.   She currently has a show called ‘Quilted Wall Hangings’ at Hill Center​ on Capitol Hill, until June 25, 2017.

Bipeds of Brookland is a weekly series introducing the people who make Greater Brookland their home, one step at a time.
Photo and article by Tom Sabella