Tony Keith of the DC's Community College Student Success Team invited ONE DC to speak about its organizing work regarding unemployment in DC and the displacement of long time DC residents.  The three-hour community learning session went by quickly, according to students who attended, as the ONE DC team used fun quizzes, small group sessions and short presentations to facilitate the session.

Students remarked they were moved by the facts they learned from the quiz. For example, the quiz revealed that working a minimum wage job at $8.25/hour would require one to work 201 hours a week to afford the average cost of a one-bedroom apartment ($1,250/month). One stunned student replied, "But there's only 168 hours in a week, so it's not possible!"  That was precisely the point: Walmart, Target, and other low-wage jobs won't allow those who work for these businesses to live and work in DC.

Asked about the changes students are seeing in their neighborhoods, most agreed that while it was nice to see new housing going up everywhere, they couldn't afford to live in most of it.  Finding jobs at a living wage was also a challenge for many of them and their family members.  Mr. Keith said ONE DC fired up students about organizing to redress the mounting pressures that could eventually push them and their family members out of DC.  ONE DC's Community Learning Team included Ron Harris, Therese Beaudreault, N'ya Finley, and Ka Flewellen.