Long before the U street corridor was lined with towering apartment buildings and restaurants there was a Masonic Temple where members of Social Lodge #1 fed people in the Washington, D.C. community on New Year’s Day.
The Mason held its annual community celebration on Jan. 1 at the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia on U Street in Northwest D.C. (Photos by Hamil Harris)
Dressed in black suits, white gloves and light blue aprons, members of Social Lodge # 1 continued a tradition that was first recorded in 1931 by serving about 200 residents from Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia and Prince George’s County.
“In those days we were not allowed to convene unless a White person was present and so this was not just a reception this was a way to feed the entire community,” said Floyd Rooth, the Worshipful Master of Social Lodge No. 1. “Masonry is about giving back and helping those less fortunate than ourselves. For me it’s an honor to carry out that tradition.”
The New Year’s Day meal, consisting of chicken, black-eyed peas and collard greens, was served on the second floor of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia. The meal comes from southern traditions that state that black-eyed peas and collard greens, or cabbage, bring luck when eaten on New Year’s Day. Among those in attendance were the Honorable Phillip David, grand master, and Patricia Young, grand worthy matron of the Georgianna Thomas Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star.
Bob Taylor, past master of the lodge, said the event has a rich history because the lodge was built during a time when “U Street was the Mecca of the Black Community and it is where people came.”
In addition to the men and women in attendance, children were also present and dressed in white dresses and black suits.
