Community Impact: The Village DC

Community is key for a society to thrive. Everywhere around the world, people and businesses make a consistent effort to create impactful communities that make a difference in the lives of the people within the communities we live in. One of these places is The Village, a Black-owned local coffee shop and event space in Washington, DC. Designed with the local public in mind, The Village makes impact through community connection, empowerment, and accessibility. Not only do they source healthy local food options, but The Village also curates film screenings, art shows, vendor marketplaces, and open mics with the sole purpose of building an ecosystem where people can build positive creative connections with other like-minded people in DC.

Of course, no community thrives without the efforts of those who build it up. For this TONL narrative, we sat down with Daquan Curtis, a longstanding barista at The Village. For him, his ability to impact The Village’s community goes far beyond the beverages he makes for the store’s patrons. We spoke to Daquan about how his life has changed since the beginning of his employment at The Village, how people at The Village have inspired his own creative identity, and how he uses his position at The Village to give back to the local community.

TONL: We’re here with Daquan, a barista at The Village. Tell me a little bit about how you got started at The Village.

Daquan (D): So I wasn't here for like grand opening [in 2019], but I was hired as a team member afterwards. I got involved with The Village during a summer youth program in DC that’s designed to help local youth find employment opportunities. Usually, after the summer youth program is over, if the job you were stationed at that likes like your work ethic, then they might hire you afterwards. That's what happened with me. Growing with The Village, I will say, [has been] a big experience [for me] and [lets me] change my environment, as well as the local community.

TONL: What was the main goal or mission of The Village when it opened? What are some things that The Village does to engage with the community?

D: The mission of The Village is to bring back the feeling of community, or create a sense of community [in Washington, DC]. I'll say, The Village is providing the space and environment for people to come to and feel inspired. We engage with the community by having different vendors and events on the weekends, as well as open mics. These [events] create spaces for the community.

The audience and the vendors are all small businesses that come from the local community in the DMV area. And also, public people from the local DMV area; people who live in the community are looking for a place to come and be inspired, find some cool things to do to also learn more about their local community. So, that's our type of audience that comes to these types of events. Normally, the community is amazed and surprised that something like The Village exists in DC. People are happy at how we can have The Village as a coffee shop in the front and event space in the back.

TONL: Let’s turn our attention to your experiences at The Village, then. So, [you mentioned earlier that] you've been working at The Village for almost four years now. How has your life transformed or changed over the course of those four years?

D: I'll say that The Village inspires not just the community, but me as well, just working here. Building this community just made my world grow. Since working here, I've been able to take part in organizing the weekend markets and open mics, while meeting people in the community who do the same things too. As a musician from the DMV area, it’s nice to know that people in the DMV community are interested in the same things and want to get inspired by the things that we all do together. And it’s great that I get to take part in making all of that happen. Being exposed to that type of creativity and the things that I've never seen happen before opened my mind to a lot of opportunities and a lot of things that can be passed onto others.  I’ve never been exposed to a space like that in DC.

TONL: You mentioned that The Village exposed you to creativity in the DC area. What kind of creative are you? How did the community at The Village inspire your creativity?

D: [One of the things] I do creatively is make music. I wasn't making music for a while, but my creativity came back to me while working The Village. During one of the first open mics I helped set up [as an employee], I saw The Village transform into an event space for the first time. A lot of local artists and DJs, photographers, and videographers come to these events, and I’m able to connect with them on a level I wouldn't normally be able to if it was another context. They really inspired me to make music again.

So, for me, The Village is an experience and open environment that people can come to, learn, and experience things that they’ve never seen in DC before. It makes me happy to see the impact that I’ve had on the community by exposing them to The Village.