Washington Peace Center

08/06/2019

We are excited to share more about the Reclaim DC Team! Reclaim DC is WPC's transition project to understand if, and how, WPC can better support long-time DC residents of color through the summer.

Today, we're sharing the last of our team, Janet and Jocelyn!

Janet, a Washingtonian, is an art-tivist who is a part-time staffer at WPC during this phase. She is supporting the Reclaim public event and with the archive. Jocelyn is co-facilitator with Richael for the WPC multi-month transformation process.

Thank you for learning more about us! We're excited to share more updates soon!

08/05/2019

We are excited to share more about the Reclaim DC Team! Reclaim DC is WPC's transition project to understand if, and how, WPC can better support long-time DC residents of color through the summer.

Today, we're featuring our last team anchor, Ericka Taylor & facilitator, Richael Faithful.

Ericka joins Lorenzo and Alicia, who are experienced organizers who providing support for Jada, Hope, Brittney and Jenari as they create strategy around their conversations and interpret what they learn. Richael is co-facilitating the multi-month transformation process for WPC.

08/02/2019

We are excited to share more about the Reclaim DC Team! Reclaim DC is WPC's transition project to understand if, and how, WPC can better support long-time DC residents of color through the summer.

Today, we're featuring two team anchors--Lorenzo and Alicia!

Lorenzo and Alicia are experienced organizers who providing support for Jada, Hope, Brittney and Jenari as they create strategy around their conversations and interpret what they learn.

08/01/2019

We are excited to share more about the Reclaim DC Team! Reclaim DC is WPC's transition project to understand if, and how, WPC can better support long-time DC residents of color through the summer.

Today, we share about our two other team leads, Brittney and Jenari!

Brittney and Jenari are facilitating and archiving conversations on our central question, "How can communities of color wield more power in DC?"

07/31/2019

We are excited to share more about the Reclaim DC Team! Reclaim DC is WPC's transition project to understand if, and how, WPC can better support long-time DC residents of color through the summer.

Today, we start with two of our team leads, Jada Norris & Hope Willis.

Jada and Hope are facilitating and archiving conversations on our central question, "How can communities of color wield more power in DC?"

06/27/2019

Hi everyone,

We wanted to share an update about the Washington Peace Center’s transformation process. (This letter was shared via newsletter in May.)

Main Points:

We have formally started the transformation process that we wrote about in November 2018. Two consultants, Richael Faithful and Jocelyn Fong, are supporting us in this process until October. There are three phases to this transformation process: board process visioning, community engagement, and strategic process visioning.

The board has completed 3 months of visioning, which included radical people of color theories of peace, power-building through community processes, and plans for the community engagement process.

We are establishing Reclaim DC Project to gain insight into the questions: How can people of color wield power in DC? What, if any, role can the Washington Peace Center play in supporting that?

You can get involved with Reclaim DC Project through a paid, leadership role (english / español) or joining one of our public spaces here. Please note we are prioritizing folks raised in the city of DC, long-time DC residents, and communities of color historically erased by WPC.

This project will also be engaging in restorative processes with those who have experienced harm by WPC in the past, supported and facilitated by Richael and Jocelyn.

Our journey since November

Since our last email in November 2018, we’ve hired Richael Faithful and Jocelyn Fong as consultants to support us through a deep community engagement process. Richael (they/them/theirs) is a multidisciplinary folk healing artist, healing justice facilitator and radical lawyer born and rooted in the DC area. Jocelyn (she/her/hers) is a researcher, organizational development nerd, and aspiring librarian of healing traditions based in the DMV. We are excited to have them help shape and implement this vision.

In February, the Washington Peace Center started a process of rebuilding the underlying values and approach to WPC. This is just a starting point, but provides a “radical people of color” foundation from which to build. Here’s where we’ve landed:

We believe that building the world we want happens in fractals -- how we are in relationship with each other is how our organizations will be, how our movements will be, how our world will be.

We believe that peace is important, yet only a part of the journey towards justice and liberation.

We believe that, WPC, in whichever form it continues to exist, should create substantial value for social justice movements, which support the most marginalized communities in the District of Columbia-Maryland-Virginia region.

Where we are now

In May, we are opening Reclaim DC Project as a 3-month community engagement process to gain insight into the questions: How communities of color wield power in DC? What, if any, role can the WPC play in supporting that? We will be focusing on communities that have historically been ignored or erased by the Washington Peace Center and similar non-profit social justice organizations. We hope this project supports collectives, spaces, and organizations throughout the city in building power among communities of color.

The project will focus on conversations with ~30 residents throughout the city and public gatherings around these central questions. Reclaim DC Project will be led by a 4 person team of DMV residents with deep connections to DC, interest in bringing both critique and creativity to the project, and openness to learning about WPC. The team will be supported by two facilitators/WPC consultants, Richael and Jocelyn, and 2-3 “anchors” or experienced organizers.

While Reclaim DC Project is happening, Richael and Jocelyn will also be supporting the Washington Peace Center Board in exploring a restorative process with those who have experienced harm from WPC, including former staff and specific organizations. We believe it is imperative that WPC work to move through past events to both understand the harm caused and any opportunities to address it.

To learn more about Reclaim DC, subscribe to the email list below. You can also contact [email protected] with questions.

Thanks for being with us on this journey!

Lorenzo (WPC Board), Aaron (WPC Board), April (WPC Board), Ramah (WPC Board), Mikayla (WPC Board), Katie (WPC Board), Richael (WPC Consultant), and Jocelyn (WPC consultant)

*Español abajo* Reclaim DC Project is a 3-month community engagement process focused on communities that have historically been ignored or erased by the Washington Peace Center and similar non-profit social justice organizations. The project will work to answer: How can people of color wield power ...

05/10/2019

¡Anunciando Reclaim DC Project!

WPC está en un proceso de transformación para comprender su papel en el trabajo organizativo de DC y más allá, si es que lo hay. En mayo, estamos lanzando Reclaim DC Project (o el Proyecto para Reclamar a DC) como un proceso de compromiso comunitario de 3 meses para obtener información sobre estas preguntas: ¿Cómo pueden las comunidades de color ejercer el poder en DC? ¿Qué papel, si es que hay alguno, puede desempeñar el Washington Peace Center en su apoyo a eso? Vamos a enfocarnos en comunidades que han sido históricamente ignoradas o borradas por el Washington Peace center y organizaciones similares de justicia social sin fines de lucro.

¡Lea más sobre este rol e indique su interés aquí bit.ly/proyectoparareclamaradc.

05/09/2019

Check out Reclaim DC Project!

WPC is in a transformation process to understand its role in DC organizing and beyond, if any. In May, we are opening Reclaim DC Project as a 3-month community engagement process to gain insight into the questions: How communities of color wield power in DC? What, if any, role can the WPC play in supporting that? We will be focusing on communities that have historically been ignored or erased by the Washington Peace Center and similar non-profit social justice organizations.

Learn more about this role and express your interest here bit.ly/reclaimdcproject.

09/29/2017

Please get your tickets!

The seventh annual DC Palestinian Film and Arts Festival is taking place Oct. 5-8 at E Street Cinemas and Studio Theatre. Preluded by a special free Palestinian showcase on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage on Mon, Oct. 2 entitled “I Am There, I Am Here,” the 2017 DCPFAF will feature 11 films, l...

09/11/2017

Please read this piece that features our interim ED Darakshan Raja on 9/11

"As Darakshan points out, the expectations placed on movement leaders and organizers can be impossible to meet. We are expected to have a second skin, are expected to flawlessly know how to do this work despite a lack of training, coaching, mentorship or resources, are expected to be “on call” 24/7, and are expected to exude resilience and strength. At the same time, we are not one-dimensional people. We are simultaneously dealing with a range of life events such as managing broken relationships, tending to ailing parents, raising children, and dealing with illnesses."

It was November of 2015 and I was in Atlanta, Georgia for a discussion with a group of South Asian lawyers and advocates about my book on…

09/06/2017

Powerful statement from MLOV

This morning at 11 a.m. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that Trump and his administration has decided to end DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). This means that the Department...