By Liane Scott, on April 19th, 2012 
Empower DC's Tax Day Delegation, storming the gates of power at the Wilson Building.
As activists, we love to participate in demonstrations and marches, especially when they’re in a good cause and there are so many good causes. But it’s also nice to step it up a notch and take specific demands to the people in power. It’s a quieter, less showy form of activism, but necessary and effective in its own way. On April 17, 2012 (tax day), Empower DC along with representatives from the Fair Budget Coalition, Jobs With Justice and DC for Democracy went to the Wilson Building to talk to our council members about how they’re spending our taxes. Our first visit was to the hearing room, where the Committee of the Whole was meeting. We’d brought along an information packet that included our take on the shortage of affordable housing in the city , the DC public school budget and the childcare subsidy program. All these issues the council and the mayor influence through policy, legislation and funding. Council members and their staff (very important cogs in the legislative apparatus) are usually pretty knowledgeable when it comes to how much money is being put into or taken out of the programs that many low- and moderate-income DC residents depend on, but they’re not so knowledgeable when asked how cutting those programs will impact DC residents. That’s why activists, organizers and community members who are impacted need to educate our elected officials.
Here’s an audio snippet of one of our office visits. The position of the recording device was not ideal, so some of the audio is a little hard to understand but it’s well worth the entire 3-minutes. [haiku url=”http://www.grassrootsmediaproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Tax-Day-Delegation.mp3″ title=”Tax Day Delegation” style=”color: #003300]
Although Empower DC child care organizer Sequnely Gray, who is featured in the above audio, expressing her concerns passionately about the plight of DC’s homeless families, she was there primarily to discuss the child care subsidy program. There is so much overlap between the issues that local progressives care about, it doesn’t always make sense to try to tease them apart. The DC residents who are most impacted by this year’s round of budget cuts don’t even have the option. The parent who needs the child care subsidy so he or she can work is at risks losing their job without it. Without a job, what happens to the money for rent or for food? When one program fails you, the others become all the more necessary. As activists and organizers it’s important that we understand all of the programs that are critical to the city’s safety net. To that end, I’ve posted below the information that Sequnely put together regarding the subsidized child care program.
Here’s a link to the Demands to Fully Fund the Subsidized Child Care Program below. I hope to post more info regarding programs that will be impacted by the budget in the weeks leading up to the city council’s vote on the 2013 budget at the end of May. Empower DC is planning more advocacy days at the at the city council. Stay tuned to this channel for more on that. In the meantime, feel free to download the child care demands and do a little advocacy on your own. Because frankly, DC residents who are also parents can’t work without quality, affordable child care.
By Liane Scott, on December 29th, 2011 
River Terrace Students, courtesy DDOE
I just finished listening to the December 27 edition of the Latino Media Collective, a radio program that airs on WPFW every Wednesday night from 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM. This episode focuses on the city’s penchant for closing schools in neighborhoods that private developers have shown an interest in developing. River Terrace, a quiet, residential community along the Anacostia Waterfront, right across the river from long sought-after Kingman Island, is one such neighborhood. Despite loud and persistent objections from the residents, River Terrace Elementary School was the latest to make the school closure list.
Education advocate Alicia Rucker claims that you can predict when a school is going to be closed by the incremental withdrawal of attention and resources to the surrounding community by District government. She is concerned about her children’s school, Houston Elementary. River Terrace was at one time on the school modernization list, but with no explanation to the community, it was withdrawn. Houston Elementary has also been on the school modernization list, but because DCPS has become silent with regards to modernization plans, the school community speculates that Houston has been or shortly will be removed. One city official in the District’s Office of Facilities Planning has confirmed this, although no public announcement has yet been made. Will closure be next for Houston as well?
And then there’s the Illinois Facilities Fund Study. The Deputy Mayor for Education (De’Shawn Wright) hired the Illinois-based firm to evaluate the competing needs of charters and traditional public schools for DCPS space. Should we be concerned that the Illinois Facilities Fund is known for working with charter schools (often to the detriment of traditional public schools) or that the study was funded by the Walton Family Foundation (Wal-Mart)? Because the funding is private, IFF was chosen without any competition or public input.
How School Closures Hurt Our Community by the Latino Media Collective
All of these issues and more are covered in the above audio podcast. The show was co-hosted by Oscar Fernandez and Daniel del Pielago. Education activist Alicia Rucker was their in-studio guest and Diana Onley-Campbell joined them on the phone. If you think school closings ended in DCPS when Michelle Rhee left, you’re wrong. If you think school closings are good for DC’s historically Black communities or for DCPS students, then this program should prove enlightening.
By Tiffany Massey, on December 19th, 2011 
Protesters at McPherson Square Park, image by Carlos Valeros
Occupy K Street is a group of people of diverse cultures that got together for their voices to be heard on issues that are current and relevant. They are the voices for all those in poverty, those who lost their job during the recession, those with college degrees working minimum wage jobs, those who are paying off their student debt and those who are facing foreclosures on their homes. They fight for justice which would be an organic change in our society. “It’s just not fair that the rich gets richer why the poor gets poorer”. We have to decide what it is that we want to do and get together so that our voices can too be heard. If God is willing, the world will become a better place.
Daniel del Pielago and Abigail De Roberts of the Latino Media Collective interviewed these individuals to better understand their outlook. There were quite a few segments but we chose just a few in the following audio segment that aired on WPFW on October 12, 2011:
Being Heard on K Street by the Latino Media Collective
By Ben King, on July 2nd, 2011 
Two graduates of the Grassroots Media Project Radio Production course have teamed up to create “This Light: Sounds for Social Change,” a radio series highlighting the connections between arts and activism. Each episode will feature an interview with an activist/artist, as well as an audio mix of their work. “This Light’ is based in Washington, DC and currently looking for distribution channels. Contact the producers here.
Episode 2 profiles Climbing Poetree, a New York based spoken-word duo who uses their art as a weapon “to overcome destruction with creativity.” The group is best known for their show, Hurricane Season, connecting the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina with broad social justice issues through spoken word and multimedia performance. The poets, Alixa and Naima, are also educators and have developed a curriculum for high school and university students based on their show. They write (and manifest through their work):
“Art is our weapon, our medicine, our voice, our vision. Creativity is the antidote for violence and destruction. Art is our most human expression, our voice to communicate our stories, to challenge injustice and the misrepresentations of mainstream media, to expose harsh realities and engender even more powerful hope, a force to bring diverse peoples together, a tool to rebuild our communities, and a weapon to win the struggle for universal liberation.”
Check out Episode 2a: This Light: Sounds for Social Change – Episode 2a by THIS LIGHT
Check back soon for episode 2b featuring the music and sounds of Climbing Poetree.
For more on Climbing Poetree, check out their website.
For more on “This Light,” visit soundsforsocialchange.com. Episode 1 features Zami DC, a free LGBT poetry and song-writing workshop produced by B. Steadwell and Taylor Johnson.
By Binnie Katti, on June 14th, 2011 
Zami DC is a free summer creative writing workshop taught by local artists Be Steadwell and Taylor Johnson for lgbtq youth in the DC area. The workshop consists of poetry and songwriting classes, weekly features with local artists, discussions on continuing education, art in the community, and career options. The program ends with a final performance allowing students to take the stage.
The workshop will be held four blocks from Dupont Metro, and scheduling is still open.
Zami DC is featured on “This Light: Sounds for Social Change”, a radio series featuring young artists/activists who use their art to incite progressive social change. Each episode features two segments: 1) dynamic interviews with artists about their work and its relation to activism; and 2) (re)mix of artistic work (music, poetry, soundscape, etc.).
Episode 1a features Be Steadwell and Taylor Johnson, founders of Zami DC.
Episode 1b is a mix of their music and poetry.
To learn more about Zami DC, contact them at Zamidc@gmail.com or visit their facebook page.
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