Documenting the ‘Browner D.C.’

Joi-Marie McKenzie noticed a different kind of media coverage disparity, namely that few African Americans appeared in the society pages. In 2007, she started DC Fab, a website that covers nightlife, parties and profiles prominent D.C. personalities. TBD’s Jenny Rogers chatted with McKenzie about her motivations for running the site.


“We cover the browner D.C.,” explains McKenzie. Black faces from the worlds of sports, non-profits, music, and occasionally the clergy fill DC Fab’s pages.

“I remember when we started, there was no one like us,” says McKenzie. “You’ll flip through Washington Life, or Washingtonian, and you’d never guess there was this whole world, making hundreds of thousands, I’d say millions of dollars, of these urban professionals.”

“I want to showcase my peers,” she says. “There’s industry here. There’s tastemakers. Who’s going to talk for us? Who’s going to navigate this world?”

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