Caption: Nellie Mae Quander (1880-1961), 1st international president of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the 1st Greek-lettered sorority established/incorporated by African-American college women., Credit: Quander Historical Society, Inc.

Image by: Quander Historical Society, Inc.

Nellie Mae Quander (1880-1961), 1st international president of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the 1st Greek-lettered sorority established/incorporated by African-American college women.

The Quander Quality

From: Rebecca Sheir
Length: 05:17

Meet the oldest African-American family in Washington, D.C. - and, perhaps, the United States. Read the full description.

Piece Audio

Playing: The Quander Quality
From: Rebecca Sheir

_12 Meet the Quanders: the oldest African-American family in D.C., and, possibly, the United States. Records show the family has been in the D.C. region since the late 1600s, and as Rebecca Sheir tells us, the Quanders have a few secrets on how to keep the family line going strong.

More from Rebecca Sheir

Caption: Cliff Brody looks at an old photo of his deceased friend/sergeant, Joe Blakely, who changed Cliff’s life during the Vietnam War., Credit: Rebecca Sheir

Veteran Repays Near-Half-Century Debt (05:40)
From: Rebecca Sheir

How do you thank someone who saves you from tragedy? This Vietnam veteran knows.

"Marathon Man" of Jazz Celebrates a Lifetime of Making Music (07:00)
From: Rebecca Sheir

Andrew White may very well be the most famous jazz legend... you've never heard of.

Caption: The boundary stones are the oldest federal monuments in D.C. (and Virginia)., Credit: Stephen Powers

Racing to Save D.C.'s Oldest Federal Monuments (04:10)
From: Rebecca Sheir

Washington's oldest monuments have nearly been forgotten. But a group of engineers, preservationists and history buffs is racing to change that.

Caption: The Packard Campus is roughly 500,000 square feet, built into the side of a mountain in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains., Credit: Library of Congress/Matt Raymond

Library Of Congress Preserves A Treasure Trove... Underground (short version) (03:28)
From: Rebecca Sheir

What do you get when you take a former Cold War bunker and fill it with the world’s largest collection of films, TV shows, radio broadcasts and sound recordings?

Library Of Congress Preserves A Treasure Trove... Underground (06:38)
From: Rebecca Sheir

What do you get when you take a former Cold War bunker and fill it with the world’s largest collection of films, TV shows, radio broadcasts and sound recordings?

Is Virginia Really For Lovers? (05:50)
From: Rebecca Sheir

The real story behind one of the most famous tourism slogans of all time.

Caption: This rough sketch for a children's book drew one D.C. native into a mystery regarding “Colored Only” signs in D.C. in the 1930s. , Credit: Rebecca Sheir

Remembering the Subtle Signs of Segregation (07:41)
From: Rebecca Sheir

A well-meaning illustration in a children's book sparks controversy over segregation in the nation's capital in the 1930s.

Caption: Scientists working on the Webb Telescope say it's so revolutionary, it’s like “our generation’s Apollo.”

An Extra-Chilly Successor To Hubble (06:22)
From: Rebecca Sheir

Come winter, your neck of the woods may be cold. But guess how frigid the James Webb Space Telescope will be when it launches in 2018? 400 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. For real.

Caption: At age 29, Martin Spitznagel is the World Champion of Old-Time Piano Playing., Credit: Martin Spitznagel

From Scott Joplin to Super Mario Bros.: Making Old-Time Piano New Again (03:48)
From: Rebecca Sheir

A 20-something pianist is making old-time piano new again... with a little help from Darth Vader and Super Mario Bros.

Caption: The Big Board offers a stock exchange... for beer., Credit: agencyQ

A Beer'n'Burger Stock Exchange: The Big Board (03:45)
From: Rebecca Sheir

A new restaurant is trying to corner the market on neighborhood pubs, with beer prices that fluctuate in real time, based on customer demand.

Piece Description

Meet the Quanders: the oldest African-American family in D.C., and, possibly, the United States. Records show the family has been in the D.C. region since the late 1600s, and as Rebecca Sheir tells us, the Quanders have a few secrets on how to keep the family line going strong.