Pat Joseph

Interview with Patricia Joseph
Interview Date: July 11, 2024
Interviewer: Mark Weinheimer
Transcriber: Betsy Barnett  
Editor: Elizabeth Lewis

photo by Elizabeth Dranitzke/Photopia]

This interview transcript is the property of the Ruth Ann Overbeck Capitol Hill History Project.
Not to be reproduced without permission.

START OF INTERVIEW
WEINHEIMER: All right. Good morning.
JOSEPH: Good morning.
WEINHEIMER: I am Mark Weinheimer. It’s July 11, 2024, and I am interviewing Pat Joseph for the Overbeck Capitol Hill History Project. Pat won one of our [Capitol Hill Community Foundation] Community Achievement Awards in 2020 or 2021?
JOSEPH: ’21, I believe.
WEINHEIMER: ’21.
JOSEPH: Yeah.
WEINHEIMER: During the pandemic.
JOSEPH: Pandemic, correct.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah, and now, this year, we’re going back to meet with folks who won the awards during the pandemic and learn a little bit more about the winners for our history project, and how you got to Capitol Hill …
JOSEPH: Okay.
WEINHEIMER: …and your work on Capitol Hill and so on. As I said, I interviewed one of your co-recipients a couple of weeks ago, Kathleen Donohue, over at Labyrinth game store. We had a great time and I assume we’ll have a great time this morning as well.
JOSEPH: We will.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah. Pat, you and I met when—I won’t say how many years ago—when you were working for Tommy Wells …
JOSEPH: Yes.
WEINHEIMER: … when he was our city council person.
JOSEPH: Yes, yes. Exactly.
WEINHEIMER: And you were doing, if I remember right, constituent services for Tommy.
JOSEPH: Yes, I was. Mm-hmm. Yeah, constituent services specialist I was at that time. And Tommy’s been a dear friend of mine for years, long before I started with the council. That’s how I got into the council, our friendship. And, you know, he asked me to join his staff, which was amazing.
WEINHEIMER: Great. Working with people, I assume, all over Ward 6 on issues that—no one ever has issues in Ward 6 on Capitol Hill. [Both laugh.]
JOSEPH: Well, it helped me to really get to know the community a little bit more.
WEINHEIMER: I’m sure.
JOSEPH: And know, you know, the people, our neighbors …
WEINHEIMER:  Right, right.
JOSEPH: … you know, a little bit more. So, we actually meet at Eastern Market or, if I’m going to CVS, or sometimes, you know, the grocery store, I get a chance to see them and they say hi. But, yeah, it’s good to know that I’ve been able to help some of our neighbors out.
WEINHEIMER: I’m sure. This is sort of off topic, but what were some of the strangest constituent requests?
JOSEPH: Oh, god, we had questions about why have all the mailboxes been moved. [Interviewer laughs.] “Where do I go?” You know, “I used to walk two blocks to mail something and then now I have to go to the post office. Why were they moved in the first place?” The usual issues about …
WEINHEIMER: And, of course, you couldn’t help with the post office.
JOSEPH: Of course not, of course not. [Interviewer laughs.] Issues about traffic …
WEINHEIMER: Right.
JOSEPH: … trash, complaints about illegal construction. We get quite a few of those. And, you know, of course, crime comes up quite often. But, you know, every now and then someone will actually just take time to send me a thank you note.
WEINHEIMER: Oh, good.
JOSEPH: Which is really nice. So, I’ve gone from, you know, of course, working for Tommy Wells, then Elissa Silverman.
WEINHEIMER: Right, that’s right.
JOSEPH: And, then, now I’m in [DC Council] Chairman [Phil] Mendelson’s office. So, it’s gone from, you know, just a ward focused office going to, you know, …
WEINHEIMER: At large.
JOSEPH: … city wide and now, of course, you know, the chairman is all over the city. But I still get a lot of …
WEINHEIMER: And they’re all Ward 6 anyway.
JOSEPH: They’re all Ward 6. [Both laugh.] They’re all Ward 6. Because people follow and they see my name and then they know that maybe I helped them in Tommy’s office …
WEINHEIMER: Right, right.
JOSEPH: … followed by Charles Allen. So, then, they make that connection and they’ll reach out to me for help. So.
WEINHEIMER: Sure.
JOSEPH: It’s good. I will say this. It’s never a dull moment.
WEINHEIMER: I’m sure of that. [Laughs.]
JOSEPH: I worked for airlines for almost 30 years.
WEINHEIMER: Wow.
JOSEPH: As a flight attendant. And, when I was asked to join Tommy Wells’s staff, you know, I didn’t know anything about [city government]. He said, “Pat, you’ve always worked with [people], you’ve done constituent services.”
WEINHEIMER: Right. You’ve helped people.
JOSEPH: “You’ve worked with the public.”
WEINHEIMER: Right.
JOSEPH: And he was right. He was right. It’s just a different …
WEINHEIMER: Different place.
JOSEPH: … yeah, different venue. Exactly, exactly. But, you know, people still, you know, have issues. They don’t know where to go to get a resolution. So, we’re there to …
WEINHEIMER: They’re frustrated.
JOSEPH: … help them out. It is, it is. [Laughs.]
WEINHEIMER: Now, you mention you were in the airline industry.
JOSEPH: Mm-hmm.
WEINHEIMER: Like most of us that live on Capitol Hill, you weren’t born on Capitol Hill.
JOSEPH: No, no.
WEINHEIMER: You came here.
JOSEPH: Yeah, I came here. I kind of moved around a lot. I was born in New York. My dad worked for the federal government.
WEINHEIMER: Oh, okay.
JOSEPH: So, he got transferred quite a bit. We lived in New York and then moved to Baltimore and St. Louis. And, then, the last move was Los Angeles. So, I came to DC via Los Angeles. I was based in New York when I started working with the airlines. And, at that time, I was married. My then-husband was going to Howard dental school. So I lived in DC.
WEINHEIMER: Okay.
JOSEPH: And, then, afterwards, you know, time passed, things move on. I just decided I wanted to stay in Washington, which I did. And absolutely love it here, you know. So I’ve been here permanently since I think about 1980.
WEINHEIMER: Oh, that’s about when we moved here.
JOSEPH: [Laughs.] Oh, really?
WEINHEIMER: Yeah, yeah.
JOSEPH: Yeah. So, it’s my home. And one time I moved to another section of DC but all the rest of the time I’ve been right here on the Hill, you know. So, it’s been …
WEINHEIMER: Great.
JOSEPH: … it’s been beautiful. Yeah. I’ve seen changes.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah. I was going to say. Yeah, you know, we’ve seen changes since we moved here ...
JOSEPH: Oh, yeah, oh, yeah.
WEINHEIMER: …in that time. I’m sure you have as well.
JOSEPH: Exactly. You know, it was a different city, a different area, you know, especially during the 80s.
WEINHEIMER: Yes.
JOSEPH: But, you know, there’ve been a lot of improvements, a lot of positive things that have happened now. So, yeah. I don’t plan to move. I don’t plan to go anywhere. So, this is it for me right here. [Laughs.]
WEINHEIMER: Good, good. Now, you live on C Street NE, which is a [clears throat] “thoroughfare into the city.”
JOSEPH: Ah, yes.
WEINHEIMER: [Laughs.] Are the neighbors the same as they were way back?
JOSEPH: No. Initially, for years, when I first moved to DC, I was a block from Lincoln Park.
WEINHEIMER: Oh, okay.
JOSEPH: And, then, with the airlines, we went on strike, and then I moved—that’s when I moved to another area. But then I moved back to Capitol Hill and I had an apartment at that time. And I’d seen the changes then. Then, when I moved on C Street in 1998, this neighborhood was still different. There were several black families on this block. At this point now, I’m the only one left in this block. A few have moved. One old time neighbor passed recently. So there’s been quite a bit of changeover. One house that was a building right across the street from me was a hair salon and now it’s, you know, a single-family home. So, there’s been a lot of changes. But even with the changes, most of the neighbors are friendly. I mean, we work together just in this block to rake the leaves up, you know, …
WEINHEIMER:  Good.
JOSEPH: … shovel or whatever. So, it’s been good. It’s been good. That’s the one constant and that’s what I love about this neighborhood, you know. The neighbors still … Even with new people moving in, you know, they’ll nod or whatever. There’s still a connection.
WEINHEIMER: Right.
JOSEPH: You know. Which is nice, it’s nice to see.
WEINHEIMER: And you’re involved in the neighborhood beyond the block on a volunteer basis, too.
JOSEPH: Oh, yes. Yes, definitely.
WEINHEIMER: If I remember right, you’ve been active in …
JOSEPH: Yeah, I’m on the board with Everyone Home DC, which used to be Capitol Hill Group Ministry. And I’ve been on the board for probably about eight years. So it’s been a long time, but I absolutely love it. Originally, they were focused on servicing Capitol Hill, but they’ve moved citywide. And it’s just been an amazing journey.
You know, we recently got a huge grant from Mr. [Jeff] Bezos [executive chairman of Amazon]. So that’s helped us to be able to service, you know, the unhoused all over the city. So it’s been wonderful, something that I, you know, really enjoy a lot and take a lot of pride in. It’s been good for me.
WEINHEIMER: Great. Yeah, working with the Capitol Hill Community Foundation, we’ve given a number of grants to …
JOSEPH: Yes, you have. [Interviewer laughs.] Yes, you have. Yes, you have.
WEINHEIMER: Everyone Home.
JOSEPH: Yes, you have. Working with the city council, I’ve met a couple of other groups: LightHouse DC, A Wider Circle. I’ve worked with both of them and they do community work, you know, helping out the homeless. It’s been a nice full circle, you know, to see that.
WEINHEIMER: The Bezos money that you mentioned, …
JOSEPH: Yes.
WEINHEIMER: … the surprise grant, I think, that they got. Is that doing anything specific or is that helping to, you know, sort of undergird the organization?
JOSEPH: Yeah, right now we’re working on figuring out how to use that.
WEINHEIMER: Okay.
JOSEPH: It’s … a little over $2 million, so it’s allowed us to add more staff. It’s allowed us to reach out to other agencies to connect with. I know that we’ve been working with the Department of Human Services. It’s given us more power, you know, in the city to do things. We still do fundraisers.
WEINHEIMER: Oh, yeah.
JOSEPH: We have a big one coming up in September. Originally it was the “Sip and Savor” and it’s still called that. And, you know, we’re still getting other grants or applying for different grants. But that was a big one and that really helped us out a lot, you know. We need it. Because the need is huge in this city,
WEINHEIMER: Right. Yeah. And it just keeps growing, it seems.
JOSEPH: It keeps growing. It keeps growing. You know, that’s one thing [about] working with constituent services––you see firsthand, you know, what’s going on. I mean, we’ve had people come into the building, to the office. I’ve had people that just walked in. They need food.
WEINHEIMER: Yep.
JOSEPH: They need a place to stay. You know, they have children. You know, “What am I going to do?” Facing eviction. It’s been one thing after the other and, you know, our office, the council, is where they go to try and get that help. But that’s why it’s even more important for me to be involved with Everyone Home DC because at least—I’ve referred some of our constituents there, …
WEINHEIMER: Right, good.
JOSEPH: … for help, because one of the programs could help them out.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah. I guess the lack of affordable housing in the city is really …
JOSEPH: It’s unbelievable and I’ve had so many people tell me there is no such thing as affordable housing. I mean, it’s very difficult. And even with people that contact our office, they may have a voucher, but that voucher will only go so far, you know. And, then, you still have to feed the family. Figure out, you know, how they’re going to get around, what they can do.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah. Get the kids to school and so on.
JOSEPH: Exactly, exactly. And that was one thing that we started when I was in Tommy Wells’s office. Arena Stage came to us and they were doing a play called “Good People.” And that was about a woman that became unemployed. So they thought it would be a good merger if we could do a job fair.
WEINHEIMER: Oh, okay, great.
JOSEPH: And that was in 2011. So since 2011, every year, except for during the pandemic, we did at least two job fairs at Arena Stage.
WEINHEIMER: Wow.
JOSEPH: Which is pretty cool. And we have another one tied into a utility resource gathering that we’re going to do at Arena Stage. And that’s going to be in a couple of weeks. All of the major utilities will be there to, you know, provide resources and let the community know about different programs they have that can help them. Because that’s the other issue. People do not have money and utilities get disconnected. It’s a cycle, you know. So we’re trying to at least let them know. A lot of people are unaware that there are programs for people with low or no income that can help them out. And, then, we figured, well, we might as well have some employers there, as well. So we’ve got Harris Teeter and several utilities who are also hiring, as well. And Department of Human Resources. So that’s going to be a good thing coming up in two weeks.
WEINHEIMER: Oh, good, good. And, of course, Arena Stage is in the ward.
JOSEPH: Yes, yes.
WEINHEIMER: But it’s not on Capitol Hill. [Laughs.]
JOSEPH: No, it’s not on Capitol Hill, but it is in the ward. It is in the ward. And they’re amazing what they do, you know. They just open up their doors to help out the city.
WEINHEIMER: And even with the changes over there? Even with the changes in leadership at Arena?
JOSEPH: Oh, yes, yes. Yeah, in leadership. Edgar Dobie is still there. I think he’s the executive director.
WEINHEIMER: Oh, that’s right. Yeah. He’s [the Executive Producer, President of the Corporation].
JOSEPH: Yeah, he’s still there. And he’s, you know, even though there’ve been changes with creative directors and other people, he’s been a mainstay there and he’s always said, “Pat, no problem.” You know. So, it’s been good.
WEINHEIMER: And this is something that you coordinate?
JOSEPH: Yeah, yeah.
WEINHEIMER: Oh. Good for you.
JOSEPH: I did originally when I was in Tommy Wells’s office. Naomi [Mitchell, Wells’s constituent liaison, see her interview on this website].
WEINHEIMER: Right.
JOSEPH: Yeah. We did it together and we did that for years, even when I was in [DC Councilmember] Elissa Silverman’s office. Naomi Mitchell. We did that together because we both did constituent services. And, then, after that, you know, I just kind of took it on myself with another colleague that I had in Elissa’s office. But it’s been since 2011 we’ve done it.
WEINHEIMER: Great.
JOSEPH: Yeah, which has been good. It’s been really good.
WEINHEIMER: Great. I don’t know—for something like that, are you able to do follow up to see whether …?
JOSEPH: Well, what we would do … First couple of times, we were new at it and we weren’t really sure. And it was such a huge turnout. We had, like, over a thousand people standing in line to get in. But, then, we wanted to follow them up. We didn’t want people just to come and there [be] no follow up. They didn’t get a job, they didn’t get an interview or anything like that. So we started reaching out to the employers and they provided us, you know … We did spread sheets so we could follow up and some of the places were amazing that hired. I mean, I know the Hyatt, I know the Wharf, several of the cruise lines have.
WEINHEIMER:  Oh, okay.
JOSEPH:  Entertainment Cruises, I think it’s called. They hired a lot of people on staff. Harris Teeter, Safeway.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah, yeah. Oh, good.
JOSEPH: So, we had, you know, good results from that, which is nice. You know, anything we could do to help people out, that’s the main thing.
WEINHEIMER: Sure, sure.
JOSEPH: That’s the main thing.
WEINHEIMER: Good. So, life on Capitol Hill.
JOSEPH: Mm-hmm.
WEINHEIMER: We’ve got churches all over. We’ve got institutions all over. Yeah. Other than Everyone Home DC and working all the time, are there other … Oh, and you mentioned the church. That’s right.
JOSEPH: Yes, yes. St. Monica and St. James [Episcopal Church, 222 8th Street NE].
WEINHEIMER: Yeah.
JOSEPH: Yeah. Right on the Hill. So.
WEINHEIMER: That’s undergone some change, too. As a neighbor, I see some change.
JOSEPH: Yeah, it’s undergone a lot of change. When I first started going there, it was St. James Episcopal Church. And, then, St. Monica, which is still on Capitol Hill, they were down, I think, on 13th and Mass[achusetts Avenue] or Constitution. It’s now condos [The Residences at St. Monica’s, located at Massachusetts Avenue SE between A street and 14th Street] .
WEINHEIMER: Oh, right. Yes, yes. Right. I know where I am.
JOSEPH: So.
WEINHEIMER: Behind the charter school?
JOSEPH: Exactly, exactly. So, the church was closing. And that was, you know, unfortunate. So, we merged. And that took a year to do that. So that’s how we did that. And, then, we’ve gone through a few priests, you know, in between. And, then, there was a rectory that we owned, right next to the church, and that was sold. And those funds were used to renovate our church, which is beautiful now. Because we needed, you know, some major renovation that we did. So, that’s been, you know …
WEINHEIMER: Yeah, I remember going to a few community meetings there.
JOSEPH: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
WEINHEIMER: And, you know, it was basic.
JOSEPH: Yes. [Both laugh.] But now we have a butler’s pantry upstairs with a full new kitchen downstairs. We have offices. A couple of them are rented out. We’re able to do a summer camp.
WEINHEIMER: Oh, great, great.
JOSEPH: Which is good. Yeah, so, it’s been really nice. We have an elevator, that’s been really huge. So now we’re in the process of selecting a new priest because the one that we had left a year ago to go to Virginia. I think in the next couple of weeks our new priest [The Reverend David Kendrick] will be there. We don’t know who it is yet.  The parishioners don’t know. The vestry does. They’re the ones who selected him. So, we’re just waiting to find out. But it will be nice because, you know, years ago we used to be able to do events. We had auctions.
WEINHEIMER: Right.
JOSEPH: We would have wine and cheese parties out in the garden and invite the community. So it’s nice to kind of get back to that. I hope we can do that.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah, that would be great. You know, as a neighbor, you know, we like having neighborly things like that. [Both laugh.]
JOSEPH: Exactly. But, you know, you said the word “neighbor” and that’s one thing I like about this area. It’s a neighborhood.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah.
JOSEPH: For me, it’s a neighborhood, you know. And, as a person who has moved from one end of this country to the other end, you know, I’ve enjoyed everywhere I’ve lived. But this just feels like home. It really does. It feels like a neighborhood, you know. And that’s why—I mean, I walk all over this neighborhood, which is really nice. I walk. I take pictures. I really enjoy taking pictures of the gardens.
WEINHEIMER: Oh, mm-hmm, right.
JOSEPH: You know, in the neighborhood. Because with the flowers and everything—I even met a tortoise. I think she’s a tortoise. Sunny [interviewer laughs] on North Carolina. And her owner brings her out every now and then. But it’s nice, you know, it’s just nice. Those are things you miss if you’re driving, you know.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah, right, right.
JOSEPH: This is a place where you can easily, you know, walk up to the [Eastern] Market. You can walk to Trader Joe’s. Sometimes I actually walk all the way down, going down to the Wharf. I’ve done that.
WEINHEIMER: Mmm, good.
JOSEPH: To get that exercise.
WEINHEIMER: Right.
JOSEPH: It’s just a cool place to live. It really is.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah, I think that being sort of separated from the rest of the city by the Capitol complex has sort of encouraged us to be our own little city in the city.
JOSEPH: Exactly, exactly. And I’ve never had … I don’t have family in DC but I have friends and family that come to visit me all the time. And they absolutely love it, you know. Absolutely love it. I mean, my sister comes at least twice a year from California.
WEINHEIMER: Wow.
JOSEPH: I call her an honorary Washingtonian.
WEINHEIMER: Really?
JOSEPH: But she loves it because, you know, you just feel it. It’s a very good vibe in this area.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah.
JOSEPH: You know, I mean, we have issues just like everywhere else, you know, all over the city.
WEINHEIMER: Right.
JOSEPH: And sometimes it’s a little worse than other times. But I’ve liked the way we kind of connect and we still talk about it, you know. There are meetings that are held at the Hill Center or whatever and people can get there, you know. Residents can get there and talk about what’s going on and, you know, meet with MPD [Metropolitan Police Department] and discuss how we can make things better. But it’s a good place to live.
WEINHEIMER: I can agree with you. [Both laugh.] Having moved here about the same time.
JOSEPH: That is interesting.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah. I was given a one-year project at HUD [Department of Housing and Urban Development].
JOSEPH: Oh, okay.
WEINHEIMER: In late 1979.
JOSEPH: Wow.
WEINHEIMER: And the project actually lasted a year and a half. And we just settled here.
JOSEPH: Where did you move from?
WEINHEIMER: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
JOSEPH: Oh, okay.
WEINHEIMER: I was working for the state government there.
JOSEPH: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Mm-hmm. I had a girlfriend that lived there.
WEINHEIMER: It’s a nice town.
JOSEPH: Mm-hmm.
WEINHEIMER: But much smaller.
JOSEPH: Right, right.
WEINHEIMER: And, you know, we decided it was time to leave when one of our friends, who was one of my wife’s professors in college––we would have dinner with him occasionally–– invited us over to meet someone he thought we would really like to know. And he didn’t realize they were our best friends. [Both laugh.] Too small a town. So we moved to Capitol Hill. Where everyone is a friend anyway. But, yeah, it was around the same time. 1980.
JOSEPH: Wow, wow.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah, yeah. And, yeah, you know, it’s a friendly neighborhood. People come and go, but …
JOSEPH: They do, they do, they do.
WEINHEIMER: … as you say, the vibe stays the same.
JOSEPH: It does, it really does.
WEINHEIMER: I guess people get absorbed into what the community is doing and adopt it or whatever.
JOSEPH: [Laughs.] And the other thing is, especially in DC––I never lived anywhere else … I mean, in Los Angeles, you know, there are no row houses or anything like that and we have row houses here.
WEINHEIMER: Right.
JOSEPH: So, you share a wall, you know. Meaning, one way or another you are going to be in contact, you know. Kind of forced by the infrastructure here to, you know, to get to know your neighbor or the person next door. So that’s kind of nice, too. I mean, it’s kind of hard, especially if I get out there with the weedwhacker or doing leaves, you only have to do your little area in front of your house. No. I mean, no, you just get there and just go a little further and do that. But, yeah, it’s been a good experience.
WEINHEIMER: You mentioned that you walk all around the neighborhood. And you moved from L.A. where they don’t walk.
JOSEPH: They do not walk. No, no. We, when I go home to visit my sisters out there, we’ll go to a park. We’ll go to the park or we go to the beach. And that’s where we walk. A couple of places, like where one of my sisters lives, it’s a neighborhood that’s easy to navigate and we’ll walk, you know, different areas. But it’s not like this. It’s different. Everyone drives.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah, everyone drives. Our son was living in L.A. for two years and going to grad school. And my wife and I, you know, are used to walking. We live in Capitol Hill. So, we were walking around the neighborhood and several times, you know, drivers would stop. “Can I give you a lift?” You know. “What’s wrong? Why are you walking?” [Both laugh.]
JOSEPH: They drive everywhere. To the store. If they’re going to Target or wherever they’re going. You know, it could be close. two blocks or whatever. They get in that car and then they go. So. This is nice. To be able to, you know, just to walk around.
WEINHEIMER: Right.
JOSEPH: And, then, you run into your neighbors. You run into the community.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah, I always have to build in extra time when I walk somewhere.
JOSEPH: Exactly, exactly.
WEINHEIMER: Because you know you are going to run into people.
JOSEPH: [Laughs.] And even when we had the pandemic, which was a whole new world, you know, people were distancing themselves. But more people were out walking, because you were stuck in the house.
WEINHEIMER: Oh, that’s right. [Laughs.]
JOSEPH: And things were shut down so you weren’t driving anywhere. You know, you weren’t going.  So I saw so many people just walking the streets. There was no traffic, so people were walking in the middle of the street. That was kind of, to me, one of the … If there could be a high point, that was a high point, because it was just almost kind of a joy for people to even be able to get out. Even if you had to wear a mask. But just to get some air. And you saw your neighbors that you hadn’t seen.
WEINHEIMER: Yep, in months or whatever.
JOSEPH: In months, yeah. Exactly, exactly.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah. Yeah. And during that time, there were a few porch concerts or whatever. People would …
JOSEPH: There were porch concerts and I remember, I think it was seven o’clock at night, people would get out and bang on their pans or pots and everything for the health care workers, you know. Just a thank you. You know, it was just a symbolic thank you. It was really nice. And people would sit outside, even distancing in their lawn chairs, just to talk and kind of catch up. Because, you know, the pandemic disconnected everybody.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah, right.
JOSEPH: So it was nice that you were able to … You needed that, you know, that human contact at some point in time.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah, especially in a community like this.
JOSEPH: Yes.
WEINHEIMER: Where everyone, as you say, is so close together.
JOSEPH: Exactly, exactly.
WEINHEIMER: It’s unnatural not to see you neighbors. [Both laugh.]
JOSEPH: It is. And it was the one thing, if you were in the store even, with a mask on, whatever, everybody talked about. It was, you know, “Okay, how you guys doing? You making out okay?” And neighbors actually checked on each other, you know. We had two seniors that lived across the street and I would check on them because there was an organization, a Ward 6 organization, and they would …
WEINHEIMER: Oh, Mutual Aid [DC Mutual Aid Network]?
JOSEPH: Yes, Mutual Aid. And I reached out to them and they said, “No, Pat, if somebody is stuck and they need to go to CVS to get their medicine or they need groceries, just let me know.”
WEINHEIMER: Good.
JOSEPH: And I would do that. And they did follow through. They were amazing, they were amazing. Yeah.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah.
JOSEPH: They still are, because they do a lot of work. But especially then, because a lot of people, you know, especially seniors or [people who] had, you know, certain illnesses, couldn’t go out.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah, right, right.
JOSEPH: You know, to do this. And couldn’t afford to, you know, have somebody bring groceries, you know.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah, yeah. Uber meals were …
JOSEPH: Uber Eats or Uber meals or any of that, yeah, they couldn’t do that. So, yeah. So they were nice and they just did that to help out the community.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah, that’s good. It’s good to hear because we also gave them one of our big awards.
JOSEPH: They deserved it. They definitely deserved it.
WEINHEIMER: During the pandemic, I guess, because they stepped up and helped. Yeah.
JOSEPH: They did, they did. Which is really nice. Like to see that.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah, yeah. Good, good. I am trying to see where we are here. [Both laugh.]
JOSEPH: I am excited also—Saturday is a big celebration at Lincoln Park. Mary McLeod Bethune—there is the 50th anniversary of the statue …
WEINHEIMER: Wow.
JOSEPH: … being put there. So, I was just online looking at it. I know Chairman Mendelson is going to be there. It’s going to be a huge thing. They’re going to have a concert and I think a rededication of the statue. So, yeah, that’s Saturday. That’s going to be wonderful. But see, that’s going to be an event that’s going to bring out a lot of people here on the Hill, you know, for that event. I’m sure Congresswoman Norton will be there as well. And that’s another person I see up at Eastern Market.
WEINHEIMER: That’s right. [Both laugh.] That’s right. Our neighbors. Yeah, you mention Lincoln Park. You know, our parks––Lincoln Park, Stanton Park, Garfield Park––get used a lot.
JOSEPH: A lot. It’s absolutely amazing. It’s absolutely amazing. At first, when I first moved here, I would walk around Lincoln Park.
WEINHEIMER: Right, right.
JOSEPH: And, then, I had a guy who was a neighbor and he was in his car and he stopped and he said, “Do you know how far you’re walking?” I said, “Well, no.” He told me if I walk around four times how many miles that was, you know. So, then, I kind of kept it up. But, then, I decided let me just spread out a little bit. Yeah, the park really, I’ve seen in recent years, is really expanding as far as people out there with the dogs. They have picnics.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah.
JOSEPH: They have birthday parties out there.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah.
JOSEPH: I’ve seen exercise groups.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah.
JOSEPH: And it’s really neat. And in Stanton Park, of course, they have the kids’ playground and everything, which is nice. And it was really nice …
WEINHEIMER: It gets used a lot.
JOSEPH: Yeah, I know it’s used a lot.
WEINHEIMER: Because we go by it a lot and yeah.
JOSEPH: And it’s really nice to see the new playground put up with the splash park on Pennsylvania and Eighth [SE].
WEINHEIMER: Oh, right, right.
JOSEPH: Yeah, that was a good use of that space there, you know, because there were some negative activities going on there for years. So I was so happy to see that. Now you see families out. You see the nannies out with the kids, the babies and everything. So, it’s nice. It’s really nice.
WEINHEIMER: Well, you know, that’s another change from 1980.
JOSEPH: It’s a huge change.
WEINHEIMER: Seeing more kids in the neighborhood.
JOSEPH: Yes, more kids, more kids. I mean, I see people with double strollers, double-wide strollers, you know. So, younger people are moving in …
WEINHEIMER: Absolutely.
JOSEPH: … with their families. So, I’ve seen a lot of that. Some of the more seasoned residents, you know, some of them have moved or passed on, and some have stayed. But then, I’ve seen more younger families come in. I’ve even seen that evident in our church, because we’ve had, you know, we had long-time parishioners coming there but now we’re seeing young families come in.
WEINHEIMER: Oh, good.
JOSEPH: Which is really nice because, you know, that’s what we need.
WEINHEIMER: That’s the future.
JOSEPH: That is the future. It is the future. Yeah, it is the future. So, it’s really nice to see that. But you’re right about the young kids.
WEINHEIMER: The number of kids in the neighborhood has swelled tremendously. [Interviewee laughs.] And it’s great.
JOSEPH: Yeah. One year I actually was out for Halloween, just walking. And they were setting up for Hill-o-ween and the little kids with their little costumes and everything. I don’t know if they’re going to do that again this year but … I don’t think they did it last year. [Hill-o-ween, typically at Eastern Market, has been a Hill tradition every year since at least 2005. In 2020, it was held online due to covid concerns.]
WEINHEIMER: Yeah, I’m not sure they did it last year.
JOSEPH: Yeah, for some reason I don’t think they did. But it’s just nice to see that.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah, right.
JOSEPH: You know, it really is. And you’re right. That is, definitely is, the future.
WEINHEIMER: And we’re seeing the schools have gotten more crowded and better.
JOSEPH: Yes, they have. That’s the main thing. They’ve gotten better. Yeah, been improvements in the schools. Because I know Ludlow-Taylor, they did a lot of work there. So, it’s really nice to see that.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah, and you guys at the city council get to see the impact of the battle in the budget.
JOSEPH: Exactly, exactly. That’s one thing that we get asked a lot about, you know.
WEINHEIMER: I’m sure.
JOSEPH: The condition of the schools, you know, the teachers. Those are two big things that we definitely get asked about. And, then, of course, you know, social services. Anything that we can do to help out the residents. But it’s nice when you see what’s being asked, see where the money is going, you know. I mean, I can walk and just actually see that. And I remember years ago, even with the Hill Center, what that used to look like when I first moved here.
WEINHEIMER: Right, right.
JOSEPH: It’s just amazing. And we had a couple of events from Councilmember Wells office, we had a couple of events when they first opened up. It’s a beautiful space. Absolutely beautiful, you know. So, it’s nice to see that.
WEINHEIMER: And it is used a lot.
JOSEPH: Yes, yes. Exactly, exactly.
WEINHEIMER: It’s amazing how often it gets used and the variety of things.
JOSEPH: It really is, it really is. The variety of things, the classes that they offer, the space that’s available if you want to rent it. And, then, the restaurant. Is the restaurant still there?
WEINHEIMER: Yep, mm-hmm.
JOSEPH: Wow.
WEINHEIMER: They’ve had a little bit of turnover …
JOSEPH: Yeah, they have.
WEINHEIMER: … with the restaurant. But it’s still there. [Bayou Bakery operated in the space until 2017, when Little Pearl moved in.] Yeah, yeah. They’re now going to build an outdoor small amphitheater.
JOSEPH: Oh, nice.
WEINHEIMER: Next to where the restaurant is, just south of Pennsylvania Avenue, on the north side of the Hill Center. A little open area for people to sit and do some small outdoor events.
JOSEPH: Very nice, very nice.
WEINHEIMER: Because the demand was there.
JOSEPH: Oh, yeah. They have to do that. They have to do that. Yeah.
WEINHEIMER: Especially after the pandemic. They say that the demand for outdoor meeting space has increased.
JOSEPH: They need that. Yeah, definitely need that. You know, we have beautiful spaces for that. So. They even use Eastern Market plaza now for, you know, little small gatherings. I think on Fridays they do it during the summer. So it’s nice, because that was a space that was just kind of, you know, neglected for years, you know. You had the Metro but there was nothing really going on there and, then, they came through and put in nice seating and a couple of benches and everything. So it’s just a nicer, looks much nicer.
WEINHEIMER: Right. So, there are more things to walk to.
JOSEPH: Exactly. [Laughs.] But I try to expand as much as I can, you know, with the walking. Like I said, I go … I know from my house walking up to the Market and beyond and everything and coming back, I’ll get a minimum of two miles.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah, yeah.
JOSEPH: So, usually it’s about four, which is good. Usually, unless it’s really stormy out or freezing, I’ll get out and walk and just get that fresh air, if I can do that. So.
WEINHEIMER: It’s healthy.
JOSEPH: It is healthy. [Laughs.] Cheaper than the gym and …
WEINHEIMER: Cheaper than the gym, exactly, exactly. And you meet neighbors.
JOSEPH: I do, I do, I do.
WEINHEIMER: Now, when you’re out, do you meet people who ask you, “Oh, you know, I have this issue, this problem. Can you help me?”
JOSEPH: Oh, yes. [Interviewer laughs.] All the time. So, I go to the card store, Groovy Cards.
WEINHEIMER: Groovy. Yep.
JOSEPH: And I know [the owner], you know, known him for years and everything. So, every now and then he’ll throw in something. [Interviewer laughs.] It’s, “Pat, can you, you know, they haven’t picked up my trash or I need a new trash can,” or something like that. So, it’s fine.
WEINHEIMER:  Yeah.
JOSEPH: You know, it’s fine. Like, there’s some of them that I know quite well and I’m a good contact for that, you know. I had one of my fellow parishioners ask me to help him out with parking spaces that were removed. He’s right on Eighth off of F.
WEINHEIMER: Oh, yeah, when they did Eighth Street. Yeah, yeah, right.
JOSEPH: Yeah. So, there’d been some parking spaces that were removed and he was asking about it, you know. Or there’s a brick missing in the sidewalk, you know. So, I said, “Okay, those things I can jump on and do that. And if I can’t do it, you know, I know somebody that can do it.” So, they do. They don’t wear me out but they do that. [Laughs]
WEINHEIMER: [Laughs.] Okay, good. That’s good because then you wouldn’t walk through the neighborhood.
JOSEPH: I know.
WEINHEIMER: “I get too many complaints.” [Both laugh.]
JOSEPH: Or, then, sometimes they just want to talk about, you know, whatever. They’ll ask me questions about my boss that I may have at that time, you know. So, it’s kind of nice. Yeah, it’s kind of nice.
WEINHEIMER: That’s good.
JOSEPH: That’s another thing you don’t get in Los Angeles because everybody’s driving and you don’t run into anybody.
WEINHEIMER: That’s right. That interaction you miss.
JOSEPH: No, you don’t get any of that. Yeah. You don’t get any of that. So, this is special.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah. Our son, when he was there, he hated Los Angeles because of that. He grew up in DC and is used to public transportation and walking everywhere.
JOSEPH: Yeah, yeah. There’s none of that in Los Angeles. So, you know, you have to kind of create your own little network with people, I guess through work or whatever. But it’s not like you’re going to walk around and see the same faces when you go to the market or if you’re trying to get somewhere. You don’t see that. And in Los Angeles they’ve just had a light rail that they’ve put in, which is nice. But it’s still new. So, you know, people that have been used to driving for years, mmm, they’re not really going to …
WEINHEIMER: I’ve taken it a couple of times. [Interviewee laughs.] Because I’d have to go out there for work or visit our son or whatever. Yeah, and you’re the only one on the train. [Laughs.]
JOSEPH: Oh, yeah. It’s usually empty. And it’ll be interesting to see what happens during the [2028] Olympics, because they’re doing the train to the airport. So it will be interesting to see if people, you know … I mean that’s ideal. It’s something that should have been done a million years ago.
WEINHEIMER: Oh, yeah, right. Right.
JOSEPH: It would be great if people would use that. So we’ll see what happens with that.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah. We’ll see. That’s their problem.
JOSEPH: That is their problem, that is their problem, you know. We’re lucky that we have one that goes to National [Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport]. You can get to Dulles [International Airport] now. So, that’s great. That’s perfect.
WEINHEIMER: Do you miss the airline industry?
JOSEPH: I miss what I had before. When I first started flying, I flew domestic for a couple of years. Then I did international and it was absolutely amazing. I mean, I flew everywhere. I didn’t go to Asia. I didn’t go to India even though we started flying there. But everywhere else I went and absolutely loved it. And it was a different thing, different time, you know.
WEINHEIMER: Right, right.
JOSEPH: People basically … They didn’t come on the airplane in their pajamas with pillows. [Interviewer laughs.] You know. They didn’t do any of that.
WEINHEIMER: Right, right.
JOSEPH: So, you know, it’s different. We actually served food. Because it was international, we actually served food, you know, and [to a] different clientele. And even domestic. I did a lot of coast to coast, because I was always wanting to get back to L.A. or to San Francisco. Just a different clientele that we had.
And now it’s totally different. So I don’t miss it. I still travel a lot, because fortunately I was able to get passes. You know, lifetime passes. But, as far as working, no, because you are really hustling, you know. You’re not serving any food but it’s just a different atmosphere on those planes. It’s even a struggle for me just going through security and everything. And, you know, I see a lot of people and by the time they get through security they’re cranky. [Laughs.]
WEINHEIMER: Oh, yeah. Sure.
JOSEPH: They are cranky. They have had it. You know, they’ve gone through everything. So, yeah, that I don’t miss. But I was so lucky for the time that I had flying. It was amazing. It really was.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah. I traveled a lot for work in the days of my work and, yeah, it was fun until about 2000 and 2001, after 9/11.
JOSEPH: Yeah. It changed up. It really changed up. And, you know, even, I guess, after the pandemic. I mean, you had a lot of the low budget airlines coming in and just the whole different … And, then, passengers just started getting rude, you know. Years ago, you would never [question] … if a flight attendant told you to do something or whatever, you did it. That’s it.
WEINHEIMER: Right. You did it. Right, sure.
JOSEPH: There was no arguing, no, you know, interactions or anything like that. So, no. I’ll be a passenger [interviewer laughs] and I’m happy with that. [Laughs.]
WEINHEIMER: I don’t blame you.
JOSEPH: But it really was a good experience. But interestingly I didn’t really have a connection, even though I lived in DC, you know, my mind and everything else was elsewhere. It was in the sky, it was where I was flying and everything. I mean, I was a registered voter but I really wasn’t involved in, like, local politics. And, then, when we went on strike in ’86, 1986, it was supposed to be for two weeks. It ended up being three years.
WEINHEIMER: Oh.
JOSEPH: It was three years. And I had a friend who was very close with Marion Barry and I met him and that’s how I kind of got started. I was offered a job, you know, at that time with DCRA [Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs]. And, then, I met Tommy Wells. And for years I knew him. You know, we always kept in contact. So that got me more involved in local politics, to see exactly what was going on. Because I didn’t know the makeup of the council or anything like that, you know. So, I said, “Well, now I’m here. I’m living here so I need to know what’s going on.” And to actually vote for a council member that represented my ward, where I was. A lot of people don’t realize how important local politics are. National, yes, but it starts here. This is where it starts.
WEINHEIMER: That’s true.
JOSEPH: You have ANC [Advisory Neighborhood Commission] commissioners. You have your council members and, of course, the mayor.
WEINHEIMER: You ever run for ANC?
JOSEPH: No, I’ve had people ask me. No. But I was on a committee. Elizabeth Nelson that asked me to be on the advisory committee. [See interview with Elizabeth Nelson on this website.] I can’t remember what … It was a little local committee that sends recommendations to the ANC commissioner. So I was part of that for two years, you know. And that was interesting because we had groups come to us like Eastern High School, the band leader would come to us asking for funds or a grant for uniforms or something they needed. [See interview with James Perry on this website.] [There] was a beautification project on the Hill and they asked for funds for that. So, that was kind of cool, you know. And that was like immediate, right in my little area. I did that while I was in Councilmember Wells’s office. You know. So. It was good. You know, the strike was awful but good things came out of that.
WEINHEIMER: That’s right. For you. For us.
JOSEPH: Yeah. Exactly. And, even when we got called back … I got called back after the strike. I was originally with TWA, and then American bought TWA. Then I flew for American for a few years, you know. And then we got laid off again. So, after that, I was done. [Interviewer laughs.] You know, I was done. I had got a grant. I went to culinary school, did that. Yeah. Worked for one of the big caterers here in DC, Ridgewells.
WEINHEIMER: Oh, okay, sure.
JOSEPH: Did that for a couple of years. Then, Councilmember Wells offered me a job. So that was the beginning of that. I’ve had three careers. It’s been good. It’s been interesting.
WEINHEIMER: Good. And the last one here in the neighborhood.
JOSEPH: The last one here in the neighborhood. Yeah. And it’s kind of nice because my current boss lives in Ward 6. Yeah. Which is very nice. So, I mean, I run into him at Frager’s. I’ve seen him in Trader Joe’s. So, it’s kind of, you know, it’s kind of …
WEINHEIMER: Well, that could be good or bad.
JOSEPH: Yeah. [Both laugh.] You’re right about that.
WEINHEIMER: “Pat, I was just thinking, you know. Could you … ”
JOSEPH: And he does, because he’s always working. He is always working.
WEINHEIMER: Yes, he is.
JOSEPH: I get emails, I get texts on the weekend, you know. But he’s good about not really bugging me or bothering me too much, you know, when I’m away from the office. But I do see him. And it’s good that he lives here because he knows what’s going on when someone comes in with an issue that they’re having, you know, a business owner or a resident in the ward. He knows exactly.
WEINHEIMER: Oh, yeah. Yeah. I see him at events a lot.
JOSEPH: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. He’s all over the city, he knows this area very well. I mean, he lives right across the street from Peterbug Academy. We actually were working with Peterbug to have that academy renovated. [See interview with John (Peterbug) Matthews on this website.]
WEINHEIMER: Oh, right, yeah.
JOSEPH: Yeah, he applied for a grant, he was able to get a grant, I think it was with Historic Preservation. But it is a historical site. And it needed a lot of upgrades. He reached out to the chairman and I reached out to the different agencies that we needed to work with to get this done. So. It’s a long-term project but work has already been started, which is good. Because that’s another community member. He’s done a lot.
WEINHEIMER: Oh, yeah. Yeah.
JOSEPH: He’s done a lot for Ward 6.
WEINHEIMER: Trains kids.
JOSEPH: He trains kids, yes. You know I didn’t know on the weekends he has like a movie night. You know, outside there. So, neighbors can come. He knows the kids when they’re walking to school. He knows them by their name. You know. That’s really nice to see that. So, that’s another good person right here on Capitol Hill.
WEINHEIMER: Absolutely, absolutely. Also a Community Achievement Award winner.
JOSEPH: Yes, yes, exactly, exactly, exactly. And that’s another thing that’s nice, to be recognized like that. You know, I was totally surprised when I was told that I would get an award. So it’s nice. Because you think you’re just doing your job but you don’t realize how much it affects and helps other people, you know. I do know that I’ve helped people, but …
WEINHEIMER: Yeah. It’s probably a little different because you’re helping individuals.
JOSEPH: Yes, yes.
WEINHEIMER: You know, individual constituents with an issue and, you know, maybe don’t realize that there are numbers there.
JOSEPH: There are numbers there, there are numbers there.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah, they add up. People recognize it.
JOSEPH: The only time when I really saw that was during the pandemic and we had hundreds of people applying for unemployment at the same time.
WEINHEIMER: Oh, right.
JOSEPH: And it was a nightmare.
WEINHEIMER: Oh, the system broke down.
JOSEPH: The system broke down. Yes. So people were not able to pay their rent, their bills, or anything like that, and these were people that, you know, had jobs for years.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah, yeah.
JOSEPH: So, at that time, I was in Elissa Silverman’s office and that’s what we did. We focused on [that] because she chaired a committee …
WEINHEIMER: Oh, the employment …
JOSEPH: Labor. Mm-hmm. [Silverman was a member of the Council of the Distrit of Columbia from 2015 to 2023. She served on the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development, among others.]
WEINHEIMER: Yeah, right.
JOSEPH: So, that’s what we did. Every day, it was hundreds of people just across the city. But that’s a time when I knew how many people we helped, you know. Because all of a sudden they didn’t have any income and all of a sudden they would get, like, a lump sum. So that was huge. And now you could pay your mortgage or you could pay your rent, you know. Keep the lights on. So.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah. Mmm. Yeah, it was an interesting time.
JOSEPH: It really was, it really was. You know, I just pray that we never have to go through that again.
WEINHEIMER: Correct.
JOSEPH: I mean, I’ve heard some of the experts say that there will be another pandemic.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah, probably.
JOSEPH: But this one, we’ve never faced anything like that before. So I think maybe anything else that would come around, at least we’d be, you know, halfway prepared.
WEINHEIMER: Hopefully people learned from the last one ...
JOSEPH: I hope so, too.
WEINHEIMER: … how to be better prepared.
JOSEPH: Yep, I hope so, too. I still keep a bag of masks in my house.
WEINHEIMER: Yeah, so do we. [Both laugh.] So do we. And in the car.
JOSEPH: In the car, in the car. Yeah, exactly, exactly. And I keep hand sanitizers in my bag, so.
WEINHEIMER: Yep, yep. All right. Well, thank you.
JOSEPH: All right. This was wonderful.
WEINHEIMER: This was great. And we’re at about 54 minutes.
JOSEPH: Oh, okay.
WEINHEIMER: Thank you.
END OF INTERVIEW
Ruth Ann Overbeck Capitol Hill History Project
Patricia Joseph Interview, July 11, 2024

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