The first two weeks: Like many of you, we have been stunned by the speed and cruelty of the Trump Administration’s initial executive orders and announcements, often made in open defiance of the facts and the rule of law. And by design, the consequences of these reactionary decisions will fall most harshly on low income families and people of color. Along with many of our sister organizations, we have been engaged in reflection on the best role we can play in the next few years. We expect that we will be responding defensively to many outrageous new challenges, but we also want to be proactive and not abandon our vision of an inclusive society. Keeping all this in mind, we have drafted this initial agenda for our housing-related work over the next two years. We are also developing a plan for our work on school integration. See also this joint statement with twelve other national civil rights organizations, released earlier this week.
Welcoming new PRRAC communications staff: We are pleased this past month to welcome our new Communications and Partnerships Manager, Kimberly Hall. Kim will be helping us do a better job in getting our voice heard in traditional media, developing a stronger strategic narrative supporting our policy vision, and raising up individual and community stories that support and illustrate our work. Welcome also to our full time spring semester Communications Intern, Taahira Thompson.
The Fight for a Route Across the Hidden Boundaries of Privilege : The Kirwan Institute’s feature-length documentary film, “Free To Ride,” will make its world premiere at the D.C. Independent Film Festival two weeks from today. The film follows the story of a relentless grassroots coalition from Dayton, Ohio that overcame a suburban municipality opposed to public transit, and the system of checks and balances that allowed justice and reason to prevail. The film will premiere at the DC Independent Film Festival on Friday, February 17th (Navy Memorial Center, 701 Pennsylvania Ave.). The Screening begins at 5:20pm, followed by a panel discussion and reception (cosponsored by PRRAC). Tickets for the event can be purchased for $5 here – please come and show your support!
