The Plan is a

conspiracy theory A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, which posits that since the enactment of the

District of Columbia Home Rule Act The District of Columbia Home Rule Act is a United States federal law passed on December 24, 1973, which devolved certain congressional powers of the District of Columbia to local government, furthering District of Columbia home rule. In par ...

in 1973,

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

people have had a "plan to take back" the

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

-majority city and the offices of the

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

.Harry Jaffe
So-called "plan" for white supremacy lives on in D.C.
''Washington Examiner'', August 30, 2010. The theory asserts that the decline of low-income black residents and their replacement by wealthier whites from outside of Washington, D.C., is intentional through the calculated use of

gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...

and

urban renewal Urban renewal (sometimes called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address real or perceived urban decay. Urban renewal involves the clearing ...

. While most within Washington, D.C., regard the Plan as false, the black population has fallen by about 25 percentage points, and the white population grown by about the same, in the period since the Home Rule Act was enacted. As of the 2020 census, black residents are no longer a majority in the district, but remain a plurality.

History

Lillian Wiggins, a columnist for the '' Washington Afro American'' newspaper, was the first to formally describe the conspiracy theory, writing in 1979 that "Many residents believe that the

Marion Barry Marion Shepilov Barry (born Marion Barry Jr.; March 6, 1936 – November 23, 2014) was an American politician who served as mayor of the District of Columbia from 1979 to 1991 and 1995 to 1999. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, Barr ...

era may be the last time Washington will have a black mayor. If negative programming and characterization of black leadership are allowed to continue in the city of Washington and especially the black community, there is a strong possibility of the 'master plan' which I have so often spoken about maturing in the 1980s." Some note that the Federal City Council, an organized group of civic and corporate leaders, mostly white, meets in secret and uses its power to influence the city's direction. The theory particularly gained sway in the 1980s and early 1990s, as the city became increasingly unaffordable to low-income minorities.

Urban renewal Urban renewal (sometimes called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address real or perceived urban decay. Urban renewal involves the clearing ...

was also seen as intended to push out minority populations.Mikaela Lefrak,
Conspiracy theories: Bad for democracy but good for a politician turned novelist
, ''Washington Post Magazine'', Feb. 10, 2019, pp. 4-6. Anti-theorists note that instead of an organized conspiracy, there are market forces, demographics, and

—which is happening quickly in the

District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

—at work. Black residents have left the District, similar to how many white residents moved to the suburbs, beginning in the 1950s. However, though

white flight The white flight, also known as white exodus, is the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the terms became popular in the Racism ...

has often been attributed to the desire to leave a decaying urban core, black flight has been related to displacement and unaffordable living costs.Isabelle Anguelovski,

, ''BCNUEJ'', Sept. 22, 2019 The existence of the theory reflects "the fears of a black community that already feels under attack in a city whose rising cost of living makes hanging on difficult...if such paranoia seems laughable, it reflects a reality that's easily illustrated in bright colors".

21st Century

Census figures show that between 2000 and 2010, the District lost about 39,000 black residents while over 50,000 whites moved in. The black population declined by 11.1%, while the white population saw a 31.4% increase.U.S. Census
"DC"
2010 Census Results: District of Columbia. "The District, once 'Chocolate City', is becoming, as the saying goes, 'Vanilla Village'."Jonetta Rose Barras
Recruiting Diversity: Michelle Rhee's campaign to diversify DCPS means wooing white parents
''Washington CityPaper'', August 27, 2010. As of 2010, the city was about 51% black and 39% white—compared to 61%–34% in 2000. The black population peaked in 1970 at 71%. If trends continue, the city would get a white majority any time from 2014 to 2020.Erika Niedowski
D.C. Is Continuing to Whiten
''WashingtonCityPaper'', Jan. 7, 2010. This has been attributed to The Plan. In 2013, the black population of Washington D.C. dropped below 50% to 49.5%. Efforts to improve the

District of Columbia Public Schools The District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) is the local public school system for Washington, D.C. It is distinct from the District of Columbia Public Charter Schools (DCPCS), which governs public charter schools in the city. Compositi ...

have been linked to the purported conspiracy, as the improvements have tended to increase enrollment of white children. Although shifting demographics are broadening school demand, these are seen as either the effectuation or the result of The Plan. Similarly, rising real estate values, increased business, more abundant night life and other factors which "would otherwise be viewed as a positive becomes evidence" of the scheme, even to those who benefit from the improvements. Washington Post columnist Courtland Milloy wrote, "Don't ask ayorFenty or chools Chancellor Rhee whom this world-class school system will serve if low-income black residents are being evicted from his world-class city in droves"; "The scheme was odious: re-create a more sophisticated version of the plantation-style, federally appointed three-member commission that ruled the city for more than a century until 1967."Courtland Milloy,
D.C. election didn't just unseat abrasive Mayor Fenty. It was a populist revolt.
''The Washington Post'', September 16, 2010. The Plan, and related theories, are said to have contributed to the defeat of incumbent mayor

Adrian Fenty Adrian Malik Fenty (born December 6, 1970) is an American politician who served as the mayor of the District of Columbia from 2007 to 2011. A Washington, D.C. native, Fenty graduated from Oberlin College and Howard University Law School, then ser ...

in the 2010 primary election.Editorial
Adrian Fenty: The Jerk D.C. Needs
''Washington CityPaper'', September 10, 2010. One observer noted: "A vote for hallenger Vincent

Gray Grey (more frequent in British English) or gray (more frequent in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning that it has no chroma. It is the color of a cloud-covered s ...

, admirers of the D.C. Council chairman imply, stops The Plan dead, putting all those whiny newcomers in their place." Sharon Pratt Kelly, who was mayor before Fenty, does not believe The Plan is real. She sees no malicious intent, but does allow for "a reckless disregard for a great many people" among the "power elite" in the city. In Dax-Devlon Ross's 2021 book ''Letters to My White Male Friends'', Ross addresses the myth without agreeing with or denying it. However, he expresses the need for white people to treat the theory seriously, describing the anger black people and people of color experience with the cycle of

, as well as America's history of forced displacement policies. These policies enabled white people to seize lands, claims Ross, and were integral to the country's creation. This includes the government's seizure of lands and simultaneous expulsion of Native Americans across what is now the U.S., the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Polynesian territories used for nuclear testing, and Greenwood, Oklahoma.

History

21st Century

See also

References

Further reading