It is an integral part of their folklife and cosmology. By Me perpetuate the nostalgia. However, many urban youth use play time as an escape from grey realities and choking misconceptions by outsiders. In Washington, D.C. there is a diverse and vibrant tradition of local street play. Despite a low income household, a single parent and violence encountered in schoolyards, children find comfort in their city play.
Predictable childhoods are a thing of the past.
A new urban voice, myth and heritage are dawning. Within D.C.'s multicultural communities, children from many backgrounds teach and share their cultural games, stories and songs. Double Dutch jump rope, a game of dancing and jumping is supported in many schools. Solo or in a group, the heartbeat of today's world and yesterdays's memories are tapped and rapped on to the canvas of the nation's back streats. Trash can lids become a shield or cymbal, an old box spring a trampoline or stage.