By Liane Scott, on November 8th, 2012 
Youth from Ivy City from left to right, Stephanie Chloe, Dedrica (Drica) Clyburne, James Batts, Moniya Walker and Santasia (Tay) Scarborough
This summer, Empower DC hired several youth from Ivy City to help organize their community. What follows are the impressions of a few of the participants and a lovely video of Ivy City’s Annual reunion produced by two of the youth, Stephan Scarborough and Amari McCray.
Dedrica: I loved being the assistant community organizer for Ivy City because I used my voice for a better purpose. I feel Empower DC is doing an awesome job fighting for Alexander Crummell School. I got the opportunity to silently protest Mayor Gray’s plan to park 65 Bolt buses on the grounds of the historic Alexander Crummell School. And I feel I was good at getting people involved and wanting to stand up for the community they call home. I am definitely going to continue volunteering for Empower DC to keep the fight going in the community.
Moniya: One thing that I learned with empower DC is that you can always help with stuff. And that it was good to visit and learn new things. Empower DC changed me. I learned that you can always feel comfortable going and talking to an adult and how to have confidence. What I did not like was talking to people and getting people to come to meetings because at times they were rude. But even though people were rude there was a possibility they would attend the meeting. When I first started I was tired of walking around but I eventually got used to it. And I felt so happy when I would attend meetings and people I made contact with attended.
Stephon “Steph” Scarborough at 3.
Steph: Our amazing organization, Empower DC, has taught me a lot and it was a wonderful experience. Furthermore it was pretty excellent that the program was constructive, positive and productive. Our campaign that we are pursing has a good sense of justice and a large amount of significance. I am looking forward to starting an Empower DC band. The band will aim to reach out to people and tell them about our Ivy City community and all the hardships that we endure. Empower DC has been great to me and I will love to stay for future initiatives.
Amari McCray
Amari: My name is Amari. My summer with Empower DC was good while interning with the Grassroots Media Project. The experience was really good for me because I normally would be out with friends stealing bikes. While working with empower DC I learned how to operate the video camera and learned how to film different progressive events.
By Schyla Pondexter-Moore, on November 6th, 2012 
Say Ward 8 public housing tenants after winning a victory over the DC Housing Authority.
Judge calls the Groundbreaking Tenants’ Right Case HIGHLAND TOGETHER WE STAND VS. DC HOUSING AUTHORITY “Unchartered Territory”
Schyla Pondexter-Moore with kids from the neighborhood as they celebrate her daughter’s birthday.
Schyla Pondexter-Moore, a Ward 8 public housing resident and mother of four, became fearful for her community when the DC Housing Authority informed tenants back in 2010 that Highland Dwellings would be undergoing “complete, substantial, modernization” and everyone on the property would have to move very quickly. After researching Hope VI and finding out about the scope of displacement under the program, and encouraged by her ANC Commissioner K. Armstead, Schyla took action and founded the organization Highland Together We Stand, filing suit against the DC Housing Authority (DCHA) and fighting for over a year to achieve the victory of October 9th 2012 when DCHA settled with Highland Tenants. Now working as an Affordable Housing Organizer for the community based organization Empower DC, Schyla is taking her message to other public housing communities throughout the District.
“You can fight back. You can save your housing. You have rights. Look at what we did at Highland. You can do that too, and Empower DC is here to help.”
The number of public housing units in Washington DC has been drastically cut over the years. Where there used to be at least
Schyla Pondexter-Moore’s family is forced to move from Highland Dwellings while renovations are underway. At the time, Schyla was not certain they’d be able to return.
20,000 units of public housing (before formal recognition of HOPE VI legislation in 1998) there are now only about 8,000. Public housing complexes have been demolished and redeveloped WITHOUT providing the often-promised one-for-one replacement of public housing units on the properties. Properties such as Valley Green, Arthur Cappers, Frederick Douglass, Stanton Dwellings, Parkside, Temple Courts, Sheridan Terrace, Ellen Wilson and more, most of which are located in Wards 7 & 8, have been demolished and redeveloped for private use..
Highland Together We Stand Meeting attended by ANC Representative K. Armstead.
But the residents of the 208-unit Highland Dwellings community in Ward 8 decided to organize and fight back rather than risk displacement. On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, after a year and half of back and forth litigation, the DC Housing Authority agreed to a settlement which presiding Judge Zeldon called “unchartered territory,” and which secures two major victories in the fight to preserve public housing:
In accordance with settlement guidelines, Highland Dwelling “shall remain a public housing property for 40 years” even after extensive renovation and modernization of Highland Dwellings, which is being funded both publicly and privately, is complete. In addition, “All residents at Highland Dwellings shall be afforded the benefit of the terms and conditions applicable to all other public housing complexes in the District of Columbia as those terms and conditions are defined by federal and District of Columbia laws and regulation governing the public housing program.“
In other words, tenants will have the same rights as tenants in all other public housing complexes despite the involvement of private
developers. The 208 units at Highland Dwellings for all intents and purposes will remain for PUBLIC HOUSING after renovations for 40 years. There can be no new criteria set forth that is not applicable to public housing regulations–for example, tenants cannot be asked to pay utilities, pay more than 30% of their income, meet minimum income requirements, undergo credit checks, or other such provisions which have been common in other redevelopment projects and present clear barriers to public housing tenants returning after modernization.
Highland Together We Stand came up with a list of demands that became the basis of their lawsuit.
The settlement also states, “Current Residents and Former Residents shall have the right of first refusal to return to Highland Dwellings.” Residents sought and won this legally binding written agreement in order to ensure that all residents living on the property prior to the renovation will be able to return to the property after the renovation is complete.
“We fought a good fight. Housing knew what they did was unjust and a lot of wrong doing. Myself and other tenants in Highland Dwellings fought back and now I can say justice was served,” said Ms. Renee Patterson, another plaintiff in the case.
There have been at least . . . → Read More: Gentrification Stops Here!
By Sequnely Gray, on October 26th, 2012 
Listen up!! The Mayor and his administration have done it again!
Children from Zena’s Child Development Center in Southeast lobby DC’s City Council to fund the subsidized child care program.
Another one bites the dust in The Division of Early Care and Education. Just this past week the Assistant State Superintendent for Early Care and Education was tossed to the winds and terminated from her position. That makes 5 turnovers in the past 2 years. The Division of Early Care Education oversees all community based child care centers and the child care subsidy/voucher program. These child care centers and the child care subsidy/voucher program serve the families that are in greatest need. The Division of Early Care Education also helps make it possible for small businesses like child care centers to employ community members within the communities they operate. Without this position being filled there will definitely be no accountability, providers will for sure continue to struggle with operating their businesses and parents will be completely forgotten about.
What’s the answer? FIGHT BACK!! PARENT, PROVIDERS AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS. COME TOGETHER AND JOIN EMPOWER DC’S CHILD CARE FOR ALL CAMPAIGN!! LET’S PLAN FOR ACTION TO HOLD THE CITY ACCOUNTABLE!!
JOIN US TO FIGHT THE ATTACK ON CHILD CARE! WHEN: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2012 WHERE: The Dorothy I. Height Library 3935 Benning Road NE (walking distance front Minnesota Avenue metro station) TIME: 1:30 – 3:30 CAN YOU WORK WITHOUT CHILDCARE?
Contact Sequnley Gray at childcare@empowerdc.org or 202-234-9119 ext. 103 for more information.
By Liane Scott, on October 25th, 2012 
DC Urban Moms and Dads Co-Founders Maria Sokurashvili and Jeff Steele. A popular and informative blog for DC utilized by many DC-area parents.
DC’s Subsidized Child Care Program is set up to help low-income parents cover the cost of child care while they work, look for work or go to school. A good idea, right? We’re always hearing about how tight the city’s budget is, but if our elected officials want to collect revenue in taxes from parents who can’t afford child care, keeping them from working is not the best way to go. Despite this obvious conclusion, convincing DC government to fully fund the Subsidized Child Care program is a constant battle. As it turns out, convincing some DC residents that it’s important is also a challenge.
It may be those parents who fall into that “donut hole” of not making enough to pay for child care but not making so little that they are eligible for the subsidy who are hardest to convince. I was one of those parents when my daughter was younger. It sucked not to get the subsidy when I really could have used it, but I wasn’t so bitter about it that I didn’t want parents who were even worse off than I not to get the subsidy either. Unfortunately, I came across at least one mother in the donut hole who felt otherwise.
Two years ago, I put out a request to help support Empower DC’s Child Care For All Campaign on an online forum devoted to the concerns of DC parents, DC Urban Moms and Dads. The request was not dissimilar to the request I’m making below.
CAN PARENTS WORK WITHOUT CHILDCARE? JOIN US TO FIGHT THE ATTACK ON DC’s SUBSIDIZED CHILD CARE PROGRAM WHEN: SAURDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2012 WHERE: The Dorothy I. Height Library 3935 Benning Road NE (walking distance front Minnesota Avenue Metro Station) TIME: 1:30 – 3:30 For more information, contact Sequnely Gray at childcare@empowerdc.org or 202-234-9119 ext. 103.
This was of course two years ago. The organizer to contact was Ben Parisi, not Sequnely Gray, but the basic goals of the campaign have not changed. Two years ago, at least one anonymous poster on the DC Urban Moms & Dads forum, took exception to my request. The online argument that ensued illustrates some of the confusion over the program which I tried to clear up. I’m not sure how successful I was, but I do think the exchange is… Well, perhaps you should judge for yourself.
FORUM DISCUSSION FROM DC URBAN MOMS AND DADS
Liane: I don’t know if forum readers will find this useful or not as I suspect most of you don’t fall into this category, but in the event that you know someone in the District who simply can’t afford child care or anyone interested in helping out low-income parents, the following notice might be useful. I post on behalf of Ben Parisi, Empower DC’s Child Care For All Campaign Organizer.
http://www.grassrootsmediaproject.org/2010/11/does-vince-gray-really-support-early-childhood-education/
PP Social Worker: I agree that it is a huge issue. I am a social worker in DC and see this all of the time. Thanks!
Anonymous: Its actually the middle income families who have the bigger issues – the lower income can get child care subsidies or go to sliding fee day cares – the middle class are in a bind as child care for one with deductions/taxes can be as much as one parents take home so you can’t afford to work nor can you afford to stay home.
Liane: Well, that’s the point. If the child care subsidies program isn’t funded then the lower income parents aren’t getting the child care vouchers that they need or they’re getting vouchers that don’t cover the cost. I’m not saying the middle income families aren’t screwed over by this issue as well, but I just don’t know if it’s actually a bigger issue. Being a true progressive, I think the state would do well to work to help not only poor folks with their child care needs, but also the folks on the verge of becoming poor folks, a number fast increasing in the current economic climate. But if you want to hear from someone who really deals with this issue on a regular basis, consider checking out this post – http://www.grassrootsmediaproject.org/2010/10/ben-parisi-is-pissed/ He makes a lot of good points.
PP Social Worker: Not just middle income. I have a mom that is making just above minimum wage (not middle class . . . → Read More: Subsidized Child Care for Middle Class Parents. Hm?
By Liane Scott, on October 15th, 2012 
On September 20, 2012 education stakeholders and advocates from all across the nation gathered to demand that a moratorium be placed on public school closings. If you weren’t able to make it, the short video below, produced by Grassroots Media Project producers Stephon Scarborough and Ben King, will give you a sense of what you missed.
Mayor Gray and DCPS will be announcing DCPS school closures this Fall. If you want to help fight school closures in Washington, DC, join Empower DC’s Education Outreach Day Saturday Oct. 20th. We are working to to push back against the narrative that Mayor Gray and Schools Chancellor Henderson are using to justify more school closures. Here are the details:
EDUCATION OUTREACH DAY Saturday, October 20, 2012 @ 1:00 PM Meet in front of the Minnesota Avenue Metro Station If you are able to join us please contact Empower DC Education Campaign Organizer Daniel del Pielago at 202-234-9119 ext. 104 or Daniel@empowerdc.org.
For more on the resistance to school closures, I’ve cross-posted the following Washington Post article by Emma Brown
DCPS to propose school closures as resistance simmers By Emma Brown
A long-anticipated round of proposed school closures will be announced in the next few weeks, Chancellor Kaya Henderson said Wednesday.
Then there will be a series of community meetings where residents have a chance to challenge the proposals. And by December, DCPS hopes to make final decisions about which schools will be shuttered. Protesters rally against the coming round of school closures at DCPS headquarters Thursday morning. (Emma Brown/The Washington Post)
“We want to build in the time to hear from you,” Henderson said, speaking Wednesday before residents of River Terrace, a community that’s still smarting from the closure of its elementary school last spring.
In 2008, then-Chancellor Michelle Rhee moved swiftly to close 23 schools, sparking angry protests, political backlash and long-lasting distrust.
Henderson is banking on the idea that communities will be more willing to accept closures if they’ve had the chance to hear and respond to her proposals and rationales.
But resistance is simmering. Dozens of protesters gathered at DCPS headquarters Thursday morning to rally against the coming closures, calling them a veiled attempt to destabilize communities and speed gentrification of poor neighborhoods.
Parisa Norouzi, executive director of Empower DC, which organized the rally, said she doubted that DCPS will really listen to residents. “We have no reason to trust the process that Kaya Henderson has laid out,” she said.
Parents — many pointing to a report issued this year that recommended closing many public schools and replacing them with public charters — described the closures as part of a larger attempt to destroy the city’s traditional public education system.
“The answer is not charter schools, the answer is fortifying traditional public schools,” said Schyla Pondexter-Moore, a Ward 8 parent of four. “I think children deserve a quality education at a school they can walk to.”
Henderson, meanwhile, has long argued that closures are a matter of fiscal reality. The city operates 225 public schools — including traditional and charter schools — for 76,000 kids. Meanwhile, Fairfax County has the same number of schools — and more than twice the kids.
The D.C. protesters were joined Thursday by activists from Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia and other cities where charter schools are thriving and public schools are closing.
This reporter left the rally just before noon, when perhaps a hundred activists were chanting and singing in front of DCPS headquarters. Organizers said their numbers later swelled into the hundreds as they marched to the U.S. Education Department to call for a five-year moratorium on school closures nationwide.
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