GoGo advocates and city officials celebrate nation’s first GoGo museum

The official music of Washington D.C. has an official new home. The GoGo Museum and Cafe opened its doors yesterday, showcasing some of DC’s most iconic GoGo bands, GoGo history, and swag against colorful backdrops synonymous with stylish fashion that GoGo music inspires. 

The event was dubbed a soft launch. It was open to the public but targeted city officials, artists, and organizers who are involved in preserving GoGo music.

Located at 1920 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue Southeast in the historic Anacostia neighborhood, the new museum honors the appreciation and study of GoGo music.  

“It’s not just about recognition,” said At-large City Councilmember  Kenyan McDuffie to a wall-to-wall packed audience.“It’s about preservation. It’s about celebration.”

At Large City Councilmember Robert White described the museum’s opening as a “celebration of resilience and community culture.” 

Mayor Bowser took the stage at 11:30 AM and was greeted by political friends, the press, and GoGo, the official music of D.C.

“We have 80 museums in Washington DC, but until today, we had one missing,” said Bowser. 

The first of its kind, the GoGo Museum is minutes away from the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site and the Anacostia Community Museum. It features a two-level outdoor event space.

Community leaders and educators reminded the packed crowd of the hard work artists have put into legitimizing GoGo, culminating in the museum’s creation. Ronald Moten, co-founder of #DontMuteDC and the GoGo Museum, spoke out about the persistent lack of funding for the arts. 

“And that’s why, that’s why what happened with #DontMuteDC was so important, because it showed that we have a voice and a say in the city,” said Moten.  

“We’re constantly criminalized, constantly being muted. Our voices are muted, our bodies are muted, our music is muted. And now that we have the GoGo Museum we have a home forever and just want to make it last forever,” said Natalie Hopkinson, Associate Professor of Journalism at American University, co-founder of #DontMuteDC, and the GoGo Museum.  

GoGo performers gave their remarks on the impact of GoGo Music as well as the potential impact of the GoGo Museum revealed itself. Performer after performer spoke of the life-changing positive impacts of GoGo music on their life. Son of Chuck Brown, D.C.’s Godfather of GoGo, and speaker of the Chuck Brown Band said.

Anwan “Big G” Glover, one of the lead vocalists of BackYard Band, urged youth to pay attention to their history and said bands like Rare Essence and Junkyard Band paved the way for him. 

“Junk paved the way for Back,” Glover said. 

Reflecting on the moment as the crowd enjoyed dueling performances from the Junkyard Band and Backyard Band, Kelsey Adams, Executive Director of Long Live GoGo, the organization behind the annual Moechella event, said she was happy to be in a space that was actually preserving DC culture. 

“This is going to be a brick and mortar, so a place where GoGo can actually live, a place where people can come to at any time to kind of witness what the GoGo community produces.”  

The GoGo Museum is set to open officially in February 2025.