Shackleton, Polly, 1910-1997.

Polly Shackleton was a politician and social activist in Washington, D.C. She came to Washington in 1939, after working on FDR's campaign during the 1930's and became involved in the politics of Washington, D.C. during the 1950's while working on Adalai Stevenson's Democratic campaign. In 1967 she was appointed to the first D.C. City Council by President Johnson. She won a seat on the District's first elected council in 1974 and was reelected to that seat twice, once in 1978 and a second time in 1982, serving until 1986. She was an advocate for District Home Rule and much of her efforts involved improving conditions for the poor, children, and the elderly. She was an advocate of the METRO system, taking an active role in its planning and development. Much of the collection includes information on Project Pride, a city-wide summer program that aimed to provide District youth with activities that would help build skills and foster a sense of community within neighborhoods while working to beautify certain areas of Washington, D.C.