Come celebrate Juneteenth with Harriet’s Wildest Dreams and the Free DC Chocolate City contingent at Harriet’s House.

We’re bringing the front porch to life with performances by Freedom Futures Collective, plus light food and beverages, space to be in community and honor our history together.

This is the bi-weekly meeting of Metro DC DSA's Trans and 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!

On Monday, June 15, sportswriter and scholar Jules Boykoff will discuss his book Red Card: The 2026 World Cup, Sportswashing, and the FIFA Greed Machine. At the heart of this analysis is the concept of sportswashing, where political leaders use sports to stoke nationalism and legitimize themselves on the world stage, deflecting from chronic problems at home.

Join the Bodily Autonomy Working Group for our JOINT CAMPAIGN MEETING, with both the Repro Justice Campaign and Trans and Queer Liberation campaign.

We will be meeting both in-person and on zoom. Attendees are highly encouraged to attend in-person, if at all possible.

A happy hour will follow at Penn Social (801 E St NW) from 7:30-8:30pm.

Decrim Poverty DC invites you to a panel discussion on public space & our vision for true safety in DC that centers public health approaches

When our federal and local governments promise "safe and beautiful" spaces, who gets erased to make that promise real? Across DC, Black, brown, working-class people and youth are being pushed out of public space and criminalized in the name of public safety. Instead of investing in much-needed programs and services to address issues like substance use disorder, the lack of affordable housing, the affordability crisis, and youth supports, we continue to see policies that opt to disappear people rather than support.

Decrim Poverty DC invites you to a community panel discussion that explores the moment we are in and the solutions that make DC safer for all of us. Together, we'll dive into what safety actually requires when it's separated from overpolicing and disappearance, and we'll build a vision rooted in dignity, harm reduction, and the leadership of people pushed to the farthest margins. You will hear from organizers and advocates working at the front lines of housing, sex worker rights, youth leadership, and overdose prevention with the opportunity for Q&A and community dialogue.

Poet Safia Elhillo once wrote that “adolescence is the diaspora of the life cycle.” In this workshop, you will reflect on your teenage years while learning to write in two poetry forms: the pantoum and the ghazal. Award-winning poet María Fernanda will guide the session. We will use short writing exercises to respond to selections from the library’s literary archives, as well as poems and other materials. Sharing your writing is optional. After the workshop, you may choose to share your poem with today’s teenagers, who have written their own poems or may connect with your work. This workshop is inspired by pieces featured in the Black Artists of DC (BADC) exhibition BLACK(ER) on the 5th floor of MLK Library, which includes works from the original 2009 exhibition BLACK along with new additions. The workshop is open to everyone—both experienced poets and first-time writers. It is free to attend. Registration is encouraged but not required.

Fight for DC autonomy and Women's Suffrage in board game form. We'll be playing games about voting rights and political organizing past, present, and future including play testing a game developed by the League of Women Voters. There is limited walk-in space so please RSVP to secure your spot.

Free DC is setting out to build the cultural and political power it will take to protect Home Rule and win lasting dignity for the people of DC.

Campaign Orientation is the place to learn about the attacks DC is facing right now, our strategy to defeat them, and our organizing structures that will make it possible.

Register below to attend!

Join our community forum with Mayor & Council candidates, centering the lived experiences and priorities of Black women in Wards 7 & 8.

Please join Black Women Thriving East of the River (BWTEotR) in partnership with Good Projects DC, Win With Black Women DC Chapter, Ward 7 Democrats, and Black Nurses Rock in bringing together community voices and local leadership at a critical moment for Washington, DC.

Join us for a community-led forum featuring candidates for Mayor and Council At-Large. This conversation centers the lived experiences and priorities of Black women in Wards 7 and 8.

Join Arlington for Palestine and NAACP Arlington Branch for a movie night and community discussion about Israeli apartheid.

We will watch two short Palestinian films about life under Israeli apartheid, hear from a member of Arlington for Palestine about their trip to Palestine last year, and discuss together what all this means to us living in Arlington .

Doors open at 5:45pm and the teach in will start at 6pm. A light dinner will be served.

Non-Cooperation Theory + Practice is Free DC's advanced training intensive on the key skills involved in effective non-cooperation. This half-day training will teach you what non-cooperation looks like on an individual level, a mass level, and how other movements have used these tactics effectively.

Orientation is required

Campaign Orientation is a required pre-requisite for this training. If you have not yet attended a Campaign Orientation, you must do so before participating in this training. Join an upcoming Campaign Orientation session »

Join us for a virtual lunch-and-learn session on May 29 at 12 pm to discuss Congressional efforts to repeal our record sealing and expungement law. DC’s record relief law, the Second Chance Amendment Act (SCAA), has helped clear records for DC residents that were struggling to access necessary resources such as stable employment, secure housing, and life-changing educational opportunities. Record clearing not only helps people provide for themselves and their families, it benefits the economy and improves public safety. Nevertheless, Congress wants to return DC to the costly approach of having people’s records prevent them from moving forward with their lives, which does not make us safer. 

Join us to learn more about this law, the benefits it produces in our communities, and how Congress is seeking to overturn the law in DC. 

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.

Join the Free DC Chocolate City Group at Harriet’s House for political education, strategy, and community conversation.

Get updates on the Free DC campaign, connect with neighbors, and organize for the fights ahead. Whether you’re new or already involved, pull up.

This is a Black autonomous space.

Ballots have now arrived in mailboxes for most DC voters — and they look different this year than ever before! The June primary will be the first time DC voters use Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), a method of voting that allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference.

On May 27, join Grow Democracy, Free DC, and Washington Interfaith Network for a non-partisan training about how Ranked Choice Voting works and what to look for on your ballot this year. Our partners at Grow Democracy will share tips for avoiding common errors, and you’ll have a chance to ask them your questions. Register to attend this online session.

Jamilah Lemieux joins Black Girl Book to discuss her new title, "Black. Single. Mother." This event will celebrate the voices, stories, and brilliance of Black women and girls.

Black Girl Booked is a vibrant book club dedicated to celebrating the voices, stories, and brilliance of Black women and girls. Each month, we dive into powerful works—fiction and nonfiction—that center Black female experiences, amplify underrepresented narratives, and spark meaningful conversations.

We’re thrilled to share that author Jamilah Lemieux will join this month’s discussion to talk about her new book Black. Single. Mother. Limited free copies will be available, and Politics and Prose will be on-site for book sales.

All are welcomed to attend as we journey together through the many layers, joys, and complexities of motherhood.

Whether you're looking to connect, reflect, or simply get lost in a good book, this is your literary home. Join us as we read, uplift, and grow—one page at a time.

Join the Boycott Target DC coalition alongside faith leaders for a prayer vigil on the 6th anniversary of George Floyd’s murder.

Local leaders continue to demand that Target acknowledge the harm it caused to the Black community with its rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion and collaboration with ICE.

Harriet’s Wildest Dreams and Free DC are coming together for a juror teach-in. We’ll discuss what it really means to serve on a jury and how we can use that role to protect our people especially those with marginalized identities who are disproportionately targeted by the criminal legal system.

Jury duty is not just a civic responsibility; it’s a powerful tool for ensuring fairness and justice. As community members, our participation in juries is vital to safeguarding the rights of those who are most vulnerable to systemic biases. By serving on a jury, we can influence outcomes and help create a more equitable legal process.

Come and engage in meaningful conversations, learn from legal experts, activists, and fellow community members, and find out how you can play a pivotal role in shaping a more just society. This session is open to everyone.

When candidates are asked tough, public questions—and we show up together—we help shape both the conversation and the outcomes. We raise the standard for what is expected and signal that housing cannot be ignored.

Cuando se hacen preguntas públicas y difíciles a los candidatos—y nos presentamos juntos—ayudamos a dar forma tanto a la conversación como a los resultados. Elevamos el estándar de lo que se espera y dejamos claro que la vivienda no puede ser ignorada.

Join us at the Housing Action Coalition Candidate Forum to hear directly from candidates, ask clarifying questions, and help ensure that housing and our right to stay are central in these upcoming elections.

Acompáñanos en el Foro de Candidatos de la Housing Action Coalition para escuchar directamente a los candidatos, hacer preguntas clave y asegurar que la vivienda y nuestro derecho a permanecer estén al centro de estas elecciones.

Join us for a Media Workshop on Thursday, May 21, 2026.

This is a participatory and informative workshop on effective media strategies — with time to practice responding to Teach Truth FAQs and American Revolution FAQs in small groups. Facilitated by Rethinking Schools editor Jesse Hagopian.

Join the May Meeting of Free DC’s Ward 8 Team to build the local movement it will take to protect DC Home Rule and win lasting dignity for our communities.

New to Free DC? We encourage everyone to attend Campaign Orientation. A listing of our Orientations, Trainings, and Events is available below.

Join HWD for an in-depth teach-in on the harmful anti-trans legislation coming out of the Trump administration.

Worker-members of ROC-DC, a collective that organizes workers in bars and restaurants across DC and played a pivotal role in the defense of Initiative 82, voted last year to change their name to the Restaurant Organizing Collective. This new name, now in effect, is an affirmation of what has always been true: ROC’s commitment to organizing, building, and sharing the power of DC’s restaurant workers. To commemorate the name change and raise funds for their efforts, ROC will be holding a fundraiser on Wednesday, May 20 at 5pm at the Adams Morgan Festival Center, replete with food, music, and dancing.

Together, we will urge the DC Council to protect and strengthen three essential care economy priorities:

Child care — so families can access affordable care, businesses can rely on a stable workforce, and early educators can earn fair wages.

Paid Family and Medical Leave — so workers can care for a new child, a sick loved one, or themselves without losing income.

Healthcare — so DC residents and families can access the health care they need, including through strong funding for the Alliance, local Medicaid, HealthyDC, and other critical health care programs.

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Juntos, instaremos al Consejo del Distrito de Columbia a que proteja y refuerce tres prioridades fundamentales de la economía del cuidado:

Cuidado infantil- para que las familias puedan acceder a servicios de cuidado asequibles, las empresas puedan contar con una plantilla estable y los educadores de la primera infancia puedan percibir salarios justos.

Permiso familiar pagado por motivos familiares y médicos- para que los trabajadores puedan cuidar de un hijo recién nacido, de un ser querido enfermo o de sí mismos sin perder ingresos.

El seguro médico - para que los residentes y las familias de DC puedan acceder a la atención sanitaria que necesitan, entre otras cosas mediante una financiación sólida para la Alianza, el programa local de Medicaid, HealthyDC y otros programas sanitarios medico.

Join Free DC’s Popular Education Working Group as we dive into Washington DC Protests: Scenes from Home Rule to the Civil Rights Movement by Mark S. Greek. Together, we’ll study the legacy of protest in DC and connect it to our current struggle to protect Home Rule and for racial justice in the district and beyond.

You do NOT need to finish the reading to join, of course, it is encouraged. Our space centers lived experience as knowledge, your insights, stories, and questions are just as important as the text.

Need the book? Reach out in the Pop Ed chat.

We also host our Eviction Defense Hub every first and third Monday of each month. Hubs are held at our office at 1640 Columbia Rd NW and are in person only. Hubs are in both in English and Spanish.

Our hubs cover what to expect at Landlord-Tenant court hearings, outline the eviction process, and assist residents represent themselves or find an attorney who may be able to represent them.

Party for a cause at ReproRave with MDC DSA’s Bodily Autonomy Working Group and EC4DC! Start your night by packing sexual and reproductive health care-kits for EC4DC before heading to the dance floor to party the night away with DJ Joyty and supporting DJs [TICKETS FOR RAVE SOLD SEPERATELY]. Please consider donating to our fundraiser here!

Join us at 7:30PM as we begin folding zines for our care kit packing event. At 8:30PM, we will begin packing our care kits, which include a zine, a dose of emergency contraception, condoms, a pregnancy test, and more. These kits will be given out for free at Transmission DC and all around DC. For a full list of distribution sites, please visit EC4DC's website.

100% of your ticket cost (minus Action Network fees) will go towards funding these care kits. If you wish to donate more, please consider donating to our fundraiser here.

EC4DC is a mutual aid project providing free emergency contraception to DC residents. Find more information on the EC 4 DC linktree.

The Bodily Autonomy Working Group (BAWG) is a priority campaign of the Metro DC chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America committed to pursuing reproductive justice and trans and queer liberation. Please fill out our interest form if you're interested in joining our campaign.

This event is NOTAFLOF. Please reach out at bawg@mdcdsa.org if you required a discounted or free ticket. We are committed to making this event accessible.

Join us for a snapshot of the work Harriet’s Wildest Dreams is engaged in. Our liberation is tied to one another, and we need each other to do this work to protect our people — Black people, formerly incarcerated folks, queer and trans communities, and all those at risk of state-sanctioned violence.

Being in the nation's capital, we are at the center of the empire and also a target for far-right extremists. DC is NO ONE’S playground, and we must remain vigilant in our fight for statehood, our fight against mass incarceration, and the fight for gender liberation and bodily autonomy for all.

If you and your friends are interested in building a better world, free from patriarchal violence, a world where queerness is in, then you've come to the right place! Come sit with us as we re-imagine what this world can be and reclaim safety for all of DC.

👉🏽 This month's info session will feature a political education session on the history of surveillance and how it shows up in our city. How does policing build upon the surveillance state? What has surveillance looked like throughout our city? Find out during this month's general info session!