In the Black community, primarily among Black men, there is a handshake referred to as the “dap.” It can come in many forms—from a simple clasping of hands to something more complicated involving fist pounding and snaps—but it often ends with a hug. The majority of Black men invoke the dap when greeting each other, but thanks to popular media, such as the Key & Peele sketch “Obama Meet & Greet,” people outside the Black community have been exposed to it. At least that’s what Aaron Stallworth, an educator and co-creator of The Dap Project, tells City Paper.

But despite increasing exposure to the dap in popular culture dating back to its Vietnam War origins, Stallworth has observed that not many people understand that it’s more than a handshake to Black people. “Yes, it’s a greeting, but it’s also a way for us to relate with each other,” he says. “When I go up to a fellow Black brother and I give him dap, he knows that I hope he’s doing well and that it’s great to see him. He knows all of that just from our hands connecting.”

“The dap could be with a stranger that you just met or someone you’ve known for years,” Stallworth adds. “It’ll always have a similar meaning.”

Uncovering and revealing the significance of the dap is the driving mission of The Dap Project, a company Stallworth and fellow educator and D.C. native Rhonda Henderson created. Currently, Henderson and Stallworth are showing a multimedia exhibit, Dap Is a Love Language, at Creative Grounds DC as part of their ongoing goal to educate local residents about this important yet rarely discussed part of Black culture. The exhibit’s opening reception took place in mid-June and its closing ceremony is slated for Sept. 9.

“It’s all about exploring and understanding the Black man’s handshake,” Henderson says. “And when we say explore, we mean appreciating all the nuances of the dap.”

The inspiration behind creating The Dap Project dates back as Henderson’s days attending Columbia University between 1996 and 2000. She was friends with several Black men at the time and recalls a sense of joy and camaraderie when they were together—a stark contrast to their more reserved demeanor whenever they were not around each other at the predominantly White institution. Giving one another the dap was a key way these men had to express the comfort they felt while together. Years later, during a 2019 creative rut, Henderson, now an educator in D.C., began to think back to her college days and wonder whether anyone in Washington had ever studied the dap in detail. That November she approached Stallworth during lunch to pitch her project.

“Rhonda hits me out of left field saying ‘I’m curious about dap,’” Stallworth remembers. “I gave her a side-eye because you don’t expect to hear that from a woman. Then she went into it and talked about her friends in college, which made me think about my own circle of friends and how important that greeting is. I just knew in her inquiry about it that this was going to be something special to me as a Black man.”

Work on The Dap Project started almost right away. The idea was originally to create a live exhibit, but by the time the pandemic lockdown began in March 2020, they only had a few recorded conversations with family members. COVID wasn’t enough to stop the duo. Now stuck at home, they decided to turn their interviews into a podcast where they spoke to friends and neighbors as well as local politicians, including as D.C. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, about their experiences with dap.

“One of our founding principles was that we believe all of us are interesting and worthy of conversation—everybody has a story,” Henderson says. “We talked to dozens of Black men about everything from their Little League team, their uncle who taught them dap, and thinking about when do you dap somebody up in the presence of White people. We got into really rich conversations and all that is in the podcast.”

Henderson and Stallworth eventually got their chance to create a live exhibit for the project. In the spring of 2022, they received a grant from HumanitiesDC, which helped fund what has become Dap Is a Love Language, an exhibit that incorporates video and audio interviews as well as the work from local photographers Edward Underwood and Joseph Edwards.

The exhibit is focused primarily on three D.C. neighborhoods—Congress Heights, Park View, and Stronghold—but Anacostia and Edgewood also make appearances. Within each neighborhood, several local voices discuss the importance of dap along with other aspects of local Black culture. Interviewees include musician Paul “JusPaul” Spires from Anacostia and Congress Heights Arts and Culture Center’s executive director, Keyonna Jones. John Minor, owner of J&C Unisex Barber Shop in Park View, is a voice Stallworth has been most excited to share since featuring a barbershop was one of his initial Dap Project goals. “The barber shop is key to the Black community,” Stallworth explains.

Henderson and Stallworth first exhibited Dap Is a Love Language at the Anacostia Arts Center last November. Running through January, they recall the exhibit being well received, with people from all different ages and backgrounds coming to their events over the two months it was up. In fact, they’ve saved three voice recordings from visitors who scanned a QR code provided at the Anacostia Arts Center to gather feedback.

“The Dap Project is so amazing,” says one visitor. “It is a celebration of us. It’s a must-see!”

“I am amazed and overjoyed to witness The Dap Project,” says another visitor by the name of Dwayne B. “I stepped in and looked at the photos, and it just put me in a place of honor and joy. We need to be documenting our communal joy!”

“Such a dope exhibit,” says the third visitor. “It’s so profound.”

Now that the exhibit has moved to Creative Grounds, Henderson and Stallworth are excited for more people to see their work. They both view Dap Is a Love Language and the project as a whole as an important venture for themselves and their community because it’s helping educate people about overlooked aspects of Black culture. “We really believe our community is going to come through for us as long as we are contributing to our community,” Henderson says. “It’s important for us to understand our own history and to create a space for a deeper kind of conversation about who we are. I hope people will come see our exhibit and feel like there’s a piece of home for them in the show.”

“Historically, Black folks do not get seen or recognized,” Stallworth adds. “That’s why ‘I See You’ is our mantra. We purposely seek out folks who traditionally do not get seen. That’s what I think came out in our Dap Is a Love Language.”

The Dap Project’s Dap Is a Love Language runs through Sept. 9 at Creative Grounds DC. Mondays through Saturdays, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. instagram.com/the.dap.project. Free.