"We can not fight for our rights and our history as well as future until we are armed with weapons of criticism and dedicated consciousness.”
- Edward Said
Annual Membership Meeting
We are pleased to invite you to the ONE DC 2024 Annual Membership Meeting. The meeting will take place on Saturday, March 23rd from 2-5pm at the Black Workers and Wellness Center at 2500 Martin Luther King Avenue SE.
Please watch your emails in February for a link to RSVP.
The Annual Membership Meeting is a space for members to guide the vision of ONE DC. The agenda will include:
- Elections for open seats on the ONE DC Shared Leadership Team
- Overview of our 2023 wins and campaign goals and strategy for 2024
- Community learning on ONE DC membership and leadership
- Treasurer's report
Per our by-laws, ONE DC is governed by a Shared Leadership Team (SLT) made up of appointed and elected board members, other designated ONE DC member-leaders, and ONE DC staff. At the 2024 Annual Membership Meeting, we will hold an election for five open elected positions.
The qualifications for being appointed or elected to the Shared Leadership Team are:
- Be a resident of the District of Columbia,
- Be at least 18 years of age,
- Be a ONE DC member for at least 6 months and current in the payment of membership dues,
- Complete ONE DC leadership and capacity training, and
- Demonstrate commitment to ONE DC’s values, work and mission as demonstrated through an interview process with the Shared Leadership Team.
Click here for more information about the roles and responsibilities of being on the ONE DC Shared Leadership Team.
The ONE DC Annual Membership Meeting is open to the public and all are welcome and encouraged to attend. However, only members whose names appear on the membership list will be eligible to vote in the election and on other matters put before the members for a vote. If you are unsure of your membership status, please contact [email protected].
2024 Call to Membership
Membership dues are used to build a people's movement funded by the people. They are used to fund membership activities & the ongoing campaigns & projects of ONE DC.
Click here to pay your dues for 2024.
Black Workers and Wellness Center (BWWC) Updates
Membership Orientation
We hope this message finds you well and full of energy for the new year! To kick things off, we are reviving our monthly membership orientations. Whether you’ve been a member for years or just discovering us, this is your chance to dive into the heart of ONE DC and discover all the incredible things we're up to. Expect a friendly dive into the rich history of our organization, unveil our goals and objectives for 2024, and have representatives from each branch of work inform us on the latest projects.
Our first Membership Orientation will take place on Tuesday, February 20 from 6:30-8:00PM at the BWWC located at 2500 Martin Luther King Avenue SE. It's a golden opportunity to connect, share ideas, and find your perfect spot in the action for the coming year.
See you there, ready to make a difference and have a blast doing it!
Narcan and Fentanyl Strips
We are committed to the well-being and safety of our community members. The BWWC is now equipped with Narcan (naloxone) and Fentanyl test strips, available for those who may need them.
Narcan is an opioid overdose-reversal medication that can save lives in emergencies. Fentanyl test strips can help identify the presence of this potent synthetic opioid in substances, helping to reduce the risks associated with its use. Also, with the BWWC becoming a registered Narcan distribution site, we can also provide you with training on overdose prevention and how to administer Narcan in the case of an emergency.
The health and safety of our people matter to us. If you or someone you know may benefit from these resources, please don't hesitate to email Poncho, the BWWC Coordinator, [email protected] or ask our staff for assistance. Together, we can make DC a safer and more supportive place for everyone.
Little Free Library
Homes for All DC Updates
The Homes for All DC (HFA) campaign has continued to grow! As of this month, HFA DC is comprised of four tenant association members: the Franklin Arms, Richman Apartments, Wayne Place, and Clermont Apartments Tenant Associations. We are also in the process of recruiting other tenant associations: Carrollton, Edwards, and Heritage at Shaw Tenant Associations.
Our newest addition to HFA was the Wayne Place Tenant Association. In January, they voted to join HFA and are eager to being drafting a campaign for their building. Franklin Arms has expanded their lawsuit against their landlord, NOVO, to include more tenants. We have also continued outreach to the buildings in the same neighborhood who have the same landlord - the Carrolton, and the Edwards. The HFA campaign was presented at the Edwards’ tenant association meeting this month, and we heard a lot of interest in the campaign from tenants when door-knocking in the Carrolton. Richman Apartments began defining a campaign to make WC Smith conduct much needed repairs and pest control.
We visited the Heritage at Shaw Tenant Association Meeting and welcomed them to visit our next HFA Circle meeting on February 10 at the Black Workers’ and Wellness Center.
At the HFA circle meetings, where representatives from all tenant associations come together, we have been continuing to develop our legislative campaign! We now have a core team of tenants and organizers working on planning the campaign, and we have recently met with and received support from the offices of two councilmembers (Councilmember Janese Lewis George and Councilmember Robert White) - in addition to previously received support from Councilmember Zachary Parker - on our proposed legislation.
Stop the Crimnibus Week of Action
The Secure DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2024 (or more accurately, “crimnibus”) is a package of racist and outdated “tough on crime” proposals that would do nothing to reduce violence in DC but would cause massive amounts of harm to Black communities. DC’s own Office of Racial Equity found that numerous provisions in the omnibus bill were “not substantiated by evidence-based research,” were “especially harmful to Black residents,” and “create the groundwork for a vicious cycle of incarceration.”
CLICK TO SIGN UP TO STOP THE CRIMNIBUS!
Just some of the proposed provisions include:
- Establishing unconstitutional “drug free zones” where police can surveil and arrest people with impunity. This same policy was repealed by the DC Council in 2014
- Expanding pre-trial detention, resulting in more people being locked up before they are found guilty of a crime
- Rolling back basic transparency, including the requirement that public disciplinary hearings disclose the name and badge number of the officer being disciplined
- Expanding police power by easing limits on dangerous car chases and redefining serious use of force to permit an officer to cause temporary loss of consciousness or shoot a pet
On Jan 17th, the DC Council Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety voted to pass the omnibus bill through committee. But we still have time to stop it! On Feb 6th, the bill will be voted on at the Council legislative meeting, the first of two votes. Join us starting Jan 29th for a week of action to urge councilmembers to not throw DC under the crimnibus!
Each day of the week of action will involve a phone and email zap focusing on one harmful umbrella issue within the crimnibus, and the specific provisions that fall under it. Information about each issue and sample scripts will be sent out every morning. Make sure to RSVP to get all the info at bit.ly/us-not-crimnibus!
Upcoming Meetings & Events
The ONE DC Resource Development Committee is responsible for grant writing and fundraising. Join a dynamic team to help raise funds for our organizing work!
Join us for ONE DC's next Member Orientation, where you will learn about ONE DC mission, vision, & values, our organizing model and principles, our history, shared leadership model, and organizational structure, and what it means to be a ONE DC member
Do you want to be a writer, editor, or designer for the ONE DC Monthly Voice? Email [email protected]
