Bipeds of Brookland: Malaku Steen

Bipeds of Brookland: Malaku Steen

Malaku Steen graduated from Catholic University Law School in 1963. He was the attorney who enforced anti-discrimination law for the Department of the Treasury. Any local government that discriminated would lose federal money.

One of his first cases was getting the Volunteer Fire Department in Dover, Delaware to integrate. “I said, ‘How in the world am I going to threaten a volunteer fire department with discrimination? They might say, ‘OK we won’t put out any fires.’” However, the head of the volunteer fire department was also a member of the City Council. So in order to not lose federal money, he opened the fire department to African American volunteers.

“Chicago was another one.  The Justice Department had been out to Chicago and found that they were discriminating in their police department . See: Justice Department had sent 4 people out there for 6 months, and they couldn’t make a determination.  I went out there and in three days I found that they were guilty of discrimination and we were going to withhold future funds from the city of Chicago until they complied… The city of Chicago started an affirmative action program to hire black officers.”

Malaku moved into Brookland in 1965. He says it was one of the few integrated communities in DC. “This block is very interesting, 1500 block of Jackson Street, because Howard University professors owned all but one house, I think. At the end of this block was Ralph Bunche [American diplomat who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950].

Malaku also plays the guitar: “I’m self-taught. I learned with a book called ‘Folksinger's Guitar Guide’ with a preface by Pete Seeger. I played folk guitar at St Anthony’s for 24 years. They got rid of the folk mass, so I left and went to play at St. Andrew’s in Silver Spring. Two years ago I stopped.”

Bipeds of Brookland: A weekly series introducing the people who make Brookland their home, one step at a time. Interview and photo by Tom Sabella.