About ONE DC

 

E-Newsletter

 

Community Organizing

 

Shaw Housing Initiatives

 

Tools &

Publications

 

Past &

Future Events

 

ONE DC

in the News

 

We Remember

Your Support is Critical

Job Opportunities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Join Our Mailing List

Email:

                Website updated on September 7, 2007

 

 

 

   ONE DC BREAKING NEWS!!!  

 

 

TAKE ACTION for Truly Affordable Housing in Shaw!

Contact DC city officials today!

 

Freedom School and Block Party - Saturday September 15

"Poplar Point" at Anacostia Park Community Cookout & Tour - July 28

 

 Organizers Wanted!

ONE DC is hiring!

We're looking for a few good organizers. If you have community organizing experience, please get in touch.

Check out our current Job Openings

 

 Still Here! Updates Coming Soon

We've been quiet but busy

We've been busy - ONE DC leaders in Shaw, Columbia Heights, Anacostia and other neighborhoods are all working to create and preserve racial and economic equity by exercising their Right to Land, Right to Income and Right to Housing. New newsletters will be published soon, stay tuned! And get in touch to find out how you can get involved & support our work.

 

First Annual Celebration A Success!

Thank you to everyone who made our January 27th event great!

It was wonderful to celebrate the first year of ONE DC with all of our friends at Immaculate Conception School, both those who knew us as Manna CDC and those we've gotten to know in the last year. You can see photos on our new MySpace: myspace.com/onedistrict

 

 

   Spring/Summer 2006: ONE DC Newsletter  

 

 

The Spring '06 issue of our newsletter is now available!!

Following our Popular Education approach, we've developed a community news-sharing tool that gives voice to the concerns, realities, and successes of the Shaw community as we organize to fight for just development and human rights. The newsletter also updates residents on current issues that affect neighborhood children, seniors, and families.

Spring/Summer '06:

Page 1

Pages 2 & 3 (this PDF is 6MB)

Page 4

For a PDF of past editions please visit our Tools & Publications page.

 

 

 

   NEW Community Organizing Initiative!!  

 

ONE DC Trains 15 Progressive Organizers

ONE DC's efforts to support the growth of community organizing capacity in the District and region have culminated in its newest project, the Community Organizing & Popular Education Initiative.

Year 1 (2006-2007) participating organizations and individuals were identified and include:

 

  • Asian/Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project

  • Cesar Chavez PCHS

  • Earth Conservation Corps

  • Friends & Residents of Arthur Capper/Carrollsburg

  • Greenmount West CDC (Baltimore)

  • Helping Inner City Prostitutes Survive (HIPS)

  • Latino Economic Development Corporation (LEDC)

  • Near SE/SW Coalition for Community Benefits

  • The Servant Leadership School

  • Youth Action Research Group (YARG)

  • Youth Education Alliance (YEA)

From June 5th to June 9th, ONE DC provided participants with a 40+ hour weeklong intensive training, and is finishing the development of the year long technical assistance curriculum.

 

To read more on the Institute and overall Initiative click here.

 

 

   ONE DC Receives Spotlight Award from Equal Rights Center  

 

"For many years of grassroots community development in the Shaw neighborhood, and for being a catalyst in energizing the neighborhood's social justice movement"

 

April 25, 2006

 

We sincerely thank the Equal Rights Center for its support of our work.

 

 

 

 

  ::: Manna CDC Transitions to New, Independent Organization :::  

 

ONE DC: Organizing Neighborhood Equity

 

New organization to emphasize community organizing and equitable development.

Manna CDC—the 9-year-old grassroots community development corporation that helped invigorate the Shaw neighborhood’s economic and social renaissance—is forming a new, independent organization, ONE DC, focused on community organizing, equitable development, popular education and resident-led policy advocacy. Manna CDC currently operates under the Manna, Inc. corporate structure.

Recognizing Manna CDC’s extraordinary growth and progressive values, the Manna board of directors believes restructuring will enable Manna CDC to expand its capacity and create a new, progressive organizational model in line with its goals.

The mission of ONE DC will be to exercise political strength to create and preserve racial and economic equity in Shaw and the District.

 

For more information on this transition please click here.

 

We thank you for your support!

 

 

 

   Community Organizing UPDATES!!  

 

   EDI: Resident-Led Community Benefits Agreements 

This past summer, the Equitable Development Initiative (EDI) secured the District's first Community Benefits Agreement which will govern the development of two pieces of Shaw's vacant City-owned land, Parcel 33 at 7th and S Streets and Parcel 42 at 7th Street and Rhode Island Avenue. The agreement, which guarantees affordable housing, local jobs, space for local businesses, and a community fund, was just the beginning. This winter, EDI members have been working to ensure that the benefits that were promised in the agreement are actually implemented in the development.

In January, the group held an accountability session with the National Capital Revitalization Corporation to make sure that the planned affordable housing on Parcel 42 meets the needs in the community. A similar meeting was held in February with Broadcast Center Partners, the developer of Parcel 33, to check up on their overall plans for community benefits in their development. Both meetings were supported by approximately 25 residents who clearly drove home the point that we will be paying attention to these developments at every stage of the process to insure that the community is well represented.

These meetings, however, were only the first step. We are continuing our communication and oversight with both of these developments, as well as working to reach a similar agreement with Roadside Development concerning their redevelopment of the O Street Market and Giant sites. EDI is also taking the lead with other ONE DC programs and the DC Employment Justice Center to coordinate a Mayoral Candidates Forum in June. Stay posted or contact David at dhaiman@onedconline.org for more details.

For more information about Community Benefit Agreements or how you can help insure equitable development in the District, please contact David Haiman at dhaiman@onedconline.org

 

 

 

  4 Hired, SEA Sets Sights on 600 More  

 

Shaw Education for Action (SEA) celebrated the first cycle of its hotel job training program this March. Despite a slow hospitality season that limited hotel participation in the program, 25% of the eligible candidates in the program are now employed by local hotels.

With this initial success behind them, SEA members are now turning their attention to securing a more expansive training and hiring agreement for the Convention Center Headquarters Hotel. SEA has submitted amendments to the City's funding legislation for the hotel that would set aside $3.4 million in training money and require Marriott to work with the community to create a training and hiring plan with the funds.

For more information on how you can enter the program or how you can support SEA as it continues to organize for economic justice, please contact David Haiman at dhaiman@onedconline.org

 

 

 

   Tenant Organizing UPDATES!! 

   The Plymouth 2005 Tenant Association/Asociación de Inquilinos del Plymouth 2005  

The Plymouth is a 74 unit, non-subsidized building located at 1236-11th St., NW, at the southwestern tip of Shaw. It is populated mostly by non-English speaking Latinos from El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico.

The Plymouth 2005 Tenant Association was formed in late April, when the landlord officially notified the tenants of his intent to sell the building. With ONE DC (formerly Manna CDC) organizing assistance, the tenants quickly responded with their intent to purchase the building, getting 68 of the 69 occupied units to join the tenant association!!. They are currently in the process of evaluating the feasibility of a tenant-sponsored purchase.

The Tenant Association is, at the same time, trying to deal with twice-yearly rent increases in the midst of severe housing code violations and a serious security problem. Because the building is currently exempt from rent control, rents have skyrocketed to as much as $1500 per month.

ONE DC began working with the Plymouth in April 2005, as part of our ongoing commitment to create racial and economic equity in the Shaw community. We are developing the in-house capacity and external relationships to truly bring together the various communities of color within Shaw to work together for changes that will benefit all of us.

UPDATE! Plymouth Tenants Purchase Their Building

The Plymouth 2005 Tenant Association, National Housing Trust and ONE DC formed a rental partnership to purchase the 74-unit apartment building at 1236 11th Street NW and maintain its affordability. With the city funding support from the DC Dept. of Housing, the partnership and resident committees worked hard to meet the purchase deadline.

On Thursday, May 31 the partnership signed the final purchase contract!

The Tenant Association voted to legally change the building's name to the Martin Luther King Latino Coop, and continue to work hard to ensure the safety and upkeep of their home. Congratulations Martin Luther King Jr. Coop Tenants!!!

 

 

 

   Kelsey Gardens  

 

Kelsey Gardens Tenants Go Back to Court for the Final Time

 

The Kelsey Gardens Tenant Association will return to superior court on Thursday, June 8th at 2 PM to hear Judge Michael Rankin's final ruling on the legality of

the Tenant Association's claim to exercise its first right to purchase the building.

 

For over two years Kelsey Gardens tenants have been fighting hard to maintain their human right to housing, despite tremendous pressure brought by the company wanting to purchase the property. The upcoming ruling has the potential to affect not just Kelsey residents, but future tenant purchases throughout the District. Call the ONE DC office to find out how you can support the tenants on the 8th.

For more information you can also contact Gloria Robinson at grobinson@onedconline.org

 

  ONE DC Begins Assessing & Planning In-Depth Latino Tenant Organizing in Shaw 

The Plymouth was ONE DC's first tenant organizing project in a building with 97% Latino, Spanish speaking residents. We are now assessing the current needs and issues faced by other primarily Latino buildings in the Shaw area, and taking concrete steps to engage in cross-cultural alliance building and organizing to ensure that all current residents continue to call Shaw and DC their home.

ONE DC has also begun the process of developing, translating and popularizing trainings, workshops, brochures and resources for Spanish speaking tenants.

For more information on this new project, please contact Gloria Robinson at grobinson@onedconline.org

 

   Lincoln Westmoreland I  

 

Lincoln Westmoreland I owners recently announced to the tenant association members that they are dropping their plans to sell the property. Tenant association members are investigating to determine if there will be any changes in the ownership structure and what that might mean for them and their future at Lincoln Westmoreland.

 

Meanwhile, the tenant association leadership will continue to hone their leadership and recruitment skills while addressing other issues of concern at the building.

 

Stay tuned! For more information contact Gloria Robinson at grobinson@onedconline.org

 

 

   Asbury Dwellings  

 

Senior Tenants Vow to Hold Management Accountable This Time!!

The tenants at this 147-unit, senior and disabled building learned in March that they had failed their last two annual HUD inspections under their former property management company. Tenants met with a representative from the new management company, Edgewood Property Managers, to discuss the issues that resulted in the failure. The building's old gymnasium was cited as being structurally unsound and will be imploded. Tenants also identified additional maintenance and security issues at Asbury Dwellings and management has agreed to address all of them; the tenant leadership and general tenant body will monitor the progress closely to make sure Asbury Dwellings passes its next inspection.

 For more information on Asbury Dwellings contact Gloria Robinson at grobinson@onedconline.org

 

Click here to browse our Tenant Organizing page.

 

   Our Continued Work... 

 

   Popular Theater & Community Discussions for Shaw & DC Neighbors  

Given its commitment to Popular Education, the ONE DC has now begun adopting more innovative Popular Theater techniques to facilitate discussions, learning, and organizing initiatives. Traditionally a tool of overall 'education for liberation', Popular Theater has been widely used throughout social and economic justice movements in the US and internationally, including the Mississippi Freedom Summer which inspires much of our work.

Last year, ONE DC partnered with Anu Yadav, to support the training and development of staff and resident leaders on the continued use of theater. Anu also conducted a series of performances of 'Capers: A Solo Play About Forced Relocation and the Human Right to Housing, an award-winning play which chronicles the experiences of residents of the Arthur Capper/Carrolsburg public housing project in South East Washington. It portrays the struggle on the part of the residents to save their home while facing a federal Hope VI initiative.

We will continue to develop this area of our work in the coming months!

 

For more information contact Janelle Treibitz at janelleboal@aol.com

For more information on 'Capers visit www.caperstheplay.com

 

 

 

   Developing Partnerships with Shaw Schools 

We have begun working with schools in Shaw as part of our Community Organizing & Equitable Development projects. We recognize the role of schools as critical neighborhood resource centers that have a direct connection to building a strong and democratic neighborhood and city.

ONE DC has offered 6-week bilingual Equitable Development, Community Organizing and Shaw Tenant Leadership trainings with parents at Cleveland ES. (We thank the principal, Ms. Annie Mair, for her support.)

After developing ties with Seaton ES, Scott Montgomery ES, and Immaculate Conception School, we hope to continue this initiative beginning in January '06.

 

 

 

 

 

    ONE DC in the News...       Visit the ONE DC In the News page for a complete list

 

Please note that Manna CDC has become a new, independent organizationONE DC.

 

 

Enterprising Staffing Solutions (ESS), the worker-owned temporary employment company founded and supported by ONE DC, was selected as one of the organizations featured in this year's Spirit of Giving Guide, published by the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region. Each year, the guide features high performing groups in different issue areas in the region who are doing exemplary work.

 

 

Dominic Moulden, ONE DC's Executive Director, is featured in NeighborWorks' Achieving Excellence Alert, the newsletter of Achieving Excellence, a cutting edge organizational development program featuring a partnership with Harvard University's Hauser Center for Nonprofit Management. Dominic was accepted into the program, which included an intensive 18 months of executive coaching.

 

Dominic Moulden, was featured in the Meyer Foundation's just released 2004 Annual Report, Focus on Leadership. The report profiles 12 of the many exemplary nonprofit leaders throughout our region whose work Meyer supports.

 

 

To date, many compliments have been given to Building by Building as well as to ONE DC's understanding of the critical use of popular education in its publications. Shelterforce magazine, published by the National Housing Institute, just printed a review of the book.

For more information on Building by Building or to purchase a copy, please contact Gloria Robinson at grobinson@onedconline.org

 

 

 

 

   YOUR Support IS Critical... 

The work of ONE DC (formerly Manna CDC) is vital to Shaw and the District. As we bring residents to the table to grasp and represent their interests, we are creating real change and better understanding of how we can make sure that our city truly develops people and place.

But real change requires real commitmentfrom our staff, from our constituents, and from our supporters.

We look to you to provide the critical support to keep our work moving forward. Please follow the link to our support page to read how you and your friends can support our efforts to bring human rights to the forefront of decisions that affect the Shaw community.

 

 

 

 

 

    Contact ONE DC   
 

 614 S Street NW, Rear Carriage House ¨ Washington, DC 20001 ¨ Tel: 202-232-2915 ¨ Fax: 202-667-5196