Join MDC DSA Labor for our October working group meeting. At this meeting, we will be discussing updates from ongoing labor campaigns, identifying action steps for solidarity, and sharing opportunities for further organizing.

This hybrid event is open to both DSA Members and supporters. The in-person event will be at MLK Library. Those who wish to attend virtually will be provided a Zoom registration link after registering. If you require any accommodations to participate in this meeting, please email labor@mdcdsa.org.

Immigration Reform: The Corpse That Will Not Die

Charles Kamasaki's Immigration Reform - The Corpse that Will Not Die is an insider’s history of how the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 and the Immigration Act of 1990 were shaped, debated, and ultimately passed; thereby legalized nearly three million previously undocumented immigrants and protected millions more from deportation, nearly doubled legal immigration, preserved the asylum system, and rejected indiscriminate mass deportation. Over the last twenty years, pro-immigrant advocates and lawmakers have tried and failed repeatedly to enact progressive comprehensive immigration reforms. Today, this book is more relevant than ever.

Free copies to the first 20 attendees courtesy of the Mt. Pleasant Library Friends; copies available for sale and signing by the author. Registration available but not required to attend.

Join us for an online workshop on Monday, October 6 with educators who developed Central American Studies units for upper and lower elementary. They will present these lessons: “Cultural Identity Preservation Through Storytelling” and “Resistance and Advocacy of Marginalized Communities.” Hosted by the UCI History Project and the Central American Studies in K-12 Curriculum Project in collaboration with Teaching for Change.

Over the last month, we have seen why Free DC's organizing is more important than ever before. DC needs the permanent power to govern ourselves — and it's going to be up to us to build the power needed to win.

On Saturday, October 4, everyone who have completed Free DC's Campaign Orientation are invited to join us for a Community Fair. This day of connection and learning will be a chance for Free DC community members to connect across teams, get an update about the campaign's progress, deepen important skills, and map your work for the coming weeks and months.

How well do you know your rights as a tenant in DC? Test your knowledge and learn about the protections and rights you have in our city. Topics will include eviction prevention, understanding housing code, recording housing code violations, filing for inspections or tenant petitions, and going to court.

Join the Social Housing Working Group for its biweekly organizing meeting. Learn about its latest activities, what they're planning for the future, and how to get involved.

The Social Housing Working Group seeks to educate Metro DC DSA chapter members and the general public about social housing and to facilitate collective action in support of the passage and implementation of the Green New Deal for Housing Amendment Act.

The legislation proposes to create mixed-income, district-owned housing with market rate units that subsidize a larger number of affordable units. It's a pioneering approach that deepens affordability, invests surplus funds into the creation of more social housing, and locks-in financial sustainability. The bill also includes climate and labor standards and elected tenant boards with oversight over building management.

This event is open to both DSA Members and supporters.

Explore the role the police complaints can have in addressing the perpetual war on Black people and learn how to file a complaint yourself.

Join the Repro Justice campaign as we meet to discuss our upcoming events, actions, and more. We will be going over our campaign, how you can get involved! RSVP for the zoom link.

Reach out to bawg@mdcdsa.org with any questions.

In this session. we'll discuss what organizing is, why it is so central to the fight for socialism and a better world. We'll also learn about DSA and how democratic socialism is different from neoliberal approaches to politics.

A space for mothers to connect, reflect, and shape the policy priorities that matter most to our families and communities. We'll be building on the insights and experiences you've shared with us over the past year.

The day will include small group breakout discussions, stories from both new and experienced moms, and space for wellness — with yoga and dance lessons to help us reset and take care of ourselves in the process. We’ll also share updates on MON’s upcoming pilot program and continue building partnerships to strengthen our work.

Come get skilled up by The Responders of Harriet's Wildest Dreams as we discuss one way we can keep each other safe. Cop-watch training is a training that will give you the tools and prepare you on what to look for at the scene of potential police arrests or police violence. This training will prepare individuals for proper etiquette and the process of engaging in situations with police presence.

Some of the expectations include stopping to record what the police do, letting community members know their rights, informing community members they are not alone during police interactions, and making sure police know that they are being watched.

This training is required for individuals interested in participating in The Responders and DC Safety Squad cop watch strolls.

THIS IS A NO LAW ENFORCEMENT SPACE

Join Metro DC DSA's Abolition Working Group for a Know Your Rights presentation about DC's Family Court and Domestic Violence Court on Saturday, September 27th from 3–4:30 on Zoom. Participants will learn how to navigate child custody matters without a lawyer, discuss how to file for and get a Civil Protection Order and the impact that has on custody cases, and get resources on legal organizations that provide free legal advice or representation. Folks will leave this event empowered to fight for themselves and their children.

Thank you for committing to build a new coherent national mass movement for racial, economic, social and environmental liberation. Be prepared. The one-percenters will come after you. They will try to divide, to discredit, and even destroy. Your courage and careful organizing will be tested again and again. But you may be surprised by the response you get. People are waiting for something defiant. We all want to join a movement that helps spread the word, that fights for structural change, that links us together, that multiplies our efforts, that keeps us hopeful.

It’s time to face up to runaway economic inequality – what causes it, what it’s doing to us, and what we can do about it.

Courtwatch DC is a growing DC-based program that provides the space and training for the community to observe local court proceedings in the District of Columbia and document our city’s policies in action and to hold judicial actors accountable for injustice in the court system.

Courtwatch DC is powered by Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, with support from DC Justice Lab, and DC IWOC and was founded and led by formerly incarcerated Black women.

Courtwatching is a form of mutual aid. Inspired by Courtwatch PG, we strive to ensure that our community of Courtwatchers is multigenerational, multiracial, anti-racist, and moving towards an abolitionist future.

You’re invited to join us at this year’s Movement Mixer, a dynamic gathering of community advocates, leaders, and influencers during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s (CBCF) 54th Annual Legislative Conference (ALC). Mark your calendar for Thursday, September 25th, at The Point DC from 6 to 9 p.m.

In the DMV and across the country, people’s needs are becoming increasingly urgent—while every day brings new restrictions that threaten our ability to meet them. On Thursday, September 25th, join us and other DMV organizations dedicated to economic justice, to reflect on the state of the movement and collaborate on a path forward amid growing resistance to guaranteed income and direct cash programs.

Programming will include presentations from various direct cash pilot programs, along with breakout sessions designed to foster connection, collaboration, and shared learning on issues central to Guaranteed Income.

Join us to reflect on the state of the economic justice movement in the DMV and plot a path forward in this critical moment.

Join us on September 24 at 6:30pm at Busboys and Poets (14th & V) to hear from author Pablo Leon on his new YA graphic novel, Silenced Voices: Reclaiming Memories from the Guatemalan Genocide. In this moving intergenerational tale, Eisner-nominated creator Pablo Leon combines historical research of the Guatemalan Civil War with his own experiences as a Guatemalan immigrant to depict a powerful story of family, sacrifice, survival, and hope.

Leon will be interviewed by children’s book author Anna Lapera. This event is part of the Beyond Heroes & Holidays series, co-hosted by Busboys and Poets and Teaching for Change. It is one of the activities we are hosting to prepare for Teach Central America Week and is a part of Busboys and Poets’ 20th anniversary events.

Silenced Voices (and Anna Lapera’s book) will be available for purchase and signing. Food and drinks can be purchased from the Busboys and Poets menu throughout the event.

Join us for a collaboration between Wellpoint (formerly Amerigroup DC) and Per Scholas, designed to connect the Washington, DC Metro area community with valuable resources and opportunities for personal and professional growth.

​Explore Two Exciting Floors

• ​Community Resources: Discover a variety of support services provided by local organizations designed to help you thrive.

• ​Workforce Development: Per Scholas will offer resume reviews and mock interviews

​***JOB SEEKERS: Please bring a copy of your resume and be prepared to take notes.***

​Amazing companies are already on board, and we're just getting started! Their presence will bring invaluable insight, resources, and opportunities to our attendees.

​We're excited to welcome:

• ​DC Central Kitchen

• ​Goodwell Excell Center

• ​My Sister’s Place

• ​Pathways to Housing

• ​Sasha Bruce

• ​SOME (Some Others Might Eat)

​Stay tuned - more partners are joining soon, and we can't wait to welcome them!

Are you looking for a new job? Want to join the labor movement and build power on the shop floor with your co-workers? Join our Workers Organizing Workers (WOW) Salt Training Series!

Salting, or getting a non-union job and organizing your workplace, is a key tactic that organizers have used for decades to build the labor movement. Join a historic tradition today! We’ll cover organizing basics, share information about our priority industries, and help you get a job you can organize. No organizing experience required.

Scholar Eve L. Ewing, in conversation with Rethinking Schools editor Jesse Hagopian and Rethinking Schools executive director Cierra Kaler-Jones, will discuss her book, Original Sins: The (Mis)Education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism, an examination of how the U.S. school system helps maintain racial inequality and social hierarchies. ASL interpretation provided and PD certificates offered to attendees.

This is the bi-weekly meeting of Metro DC DSA's Trans/Queer Liberation Campaign. RSVP to receive the Zoom link and join us to discuss ongoing efforts such as Project Sanctuary, our Gender & Name Change Clinics, and more!

Reach out to bawg@mdcdsa.org with any questions.

The Maryland Israel Develop Corporation (MIDC) is funded through our taxes and is complicit in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Join us for a driving tour (professional shuttle service provided) as we investigate these beneficiaries of our local tax dollars and how that money is used to fund genocide. Instead, we demand a better quality of life for all MoCo residents and a county free of war profiteering!

The Fair Budget Coalition is hosting our People's Budget Forum this fall! Join us in community on Saturday, September 20th, from 1-4 pm to enjoy refreshments, share knowledge, and begin to co-create the fiscal year 2026 budget that DC deserves.

¡La Coalición por un Presupuesto Justo los invita a nuestro Foro de Presupuesto Comunitario de FBC este otoño! Únase a nosotros en comunidad el sábado 20 de septiembre, de 1 a 4 p. m. para disfrutar de refrescos, compartir conocimientos y comenzar a co-crear el presupuesto del año fiscal 2026 que DC merece.

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Please be sure to RSVP to receive up to date event info!

¡Asegúrate de confirmar tu asistencia para recibir información actualizada del evento!

Come learn how we can protect ourselves, stand up to police abuse, and support each other in our community.

At this workshop, you will:

• Learn about your rights when dealing with police and the law

• Understand how the system works and how it affects Black people in D.C.

• Practice how to share this knowledge with your family, friends, neighbors, and schools

• Get tools to bring Know Your Rights sessions into blocks, living rooms, classrooms, and community spaces

• Connect with others who want to take action together

Become a new trainer with the D.C. COLLAB and learn how to lead Know Your Rights trainings for your block, family, friends, schools, and more with support!

No experience needed. All ages welcome!

Free food, ASL interpretation, and children’s activities provided!

Join the Social Housing Working Group for its biweekly organizing meeting. Learn about its latest activities, what they're planning for the future, and how to get involved.

The Social Housing Working Group seeks to educate Metro DC DSA chapter members and the general public about social housing and to facilitate collective action in support of the passage and implementation of the Green New Deal for Housing Amendment Act.

The legislation proposes to create mixed-income, district-owned housing with market rate units that subsidize a larger number of affordable units. It's a pioneering approach that deepens affordability, invests surplus funds into the creation of more social housing, and locks-in financial sustainability. The bill also includes climate and labor standards and elected tenant boards with oversight over building management.

This event is open to both DSA Members and supporters.

Join us for an important conversation about the wide-ranging impacts of mass deportation across the DMV region. This discussion will highlight how these policies harm immigrant families, threaten economic stability, and disrupt communities in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

During this webinar, we’ll explore:

• Economic disruption across the DMV: How mass deportation policies undermine businesses, workers, and regional economic growth.

• Consequences for families & communities: The devastating toll on families, including separation, financial instability, and trauma.

• Regional perspective: Unique challenges and ripple effects across urban, suburban, and rural communities in Maryland, Virginia, and DC.

• Policy responses and inclusive Solutions: What localities can do to push back against the dangerous federal agenda and defend community well-being.

Free DC members Deborah Swerdlow and Franc O'Malley will share updates from the Congress Team’s subgroup focused on mitigating impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) on DC residents. This webinar will discuss the specific impact of the OBBB on SNAP.

We’ll begin with an overview of the OBBB’s changes to SNAP, continue with a panel discussion about how these changes impact DC specifically, and will conclude with how to take action.

Register below to receive the link for this virtual meeting, hosted over Zoom.