3 Months, 81,000 Readers and 60 Stories. Here's What's Next.

In July, we told The Washington Post that six of us had been volunteering for months, putting “love, sweat, and dreams” into building a community-centered, worker-run newsroom for D.C. We were devastated in the wake of DCist’s shutdown, and we believed that filling its gap was essential. But still, it felt like a pipe dream. 

Then when our crowdfunding campaign raised $100,000 that very day and another $170,000 in the following weeks, we realized this might actually be possible. Thanks to all of your support, we launched in October. And in just under three months, we’ve published more than 60 stories read by over 81,000 (!!!) of you.

We hope that our explainers on home rule and what Republican control could mean for D.C. helped guide you in the aftermath of the election, that our coverage of new restaurants in Anacostia introduced you to a new favorite cafe, and that our coverage of the 38 families displaced by a gas explosion in Columbia Heights helped you understand your neighbors and our city a bit better.

We haven’t done this alone. We co-published our eviction defense guide and our resource for immigration legal help in both Spanish and Amharic with local news partners El Tiempo Latino and Ethiopique. To serve as many neighbors as possible, we also published our abortion guide, our D.C. school lottery explainer, and our ranked-choice voting explainer in both Spanish and English.

Our investigation of older Black men's overrepresentation in opioid overdose deaths in D.C. and nationwide was published in collaboration with The New York Times, The Baltimore Banner, and seven other local newsrooms across the country. 

We are committed to building an organization that collaborates and engages with the people who call D.C. home. We’ve popped up at events and gatherings in all eight wards — collecting your ideas on sticky notes and talking face-to-face with folks about what matters most to them. In our newsletter section “You Street,” readers share everything from their most memorable moments on the Circulator to questions for the incoming Ward 7 councilmember. One of our most popular columns is called “Ask a D.C. Native,” where people get advice about being a good neighbor and learn about the city’s culture from writers who grew up here. Most recently, we launched our Community Connectors Program — a way for us to listen, take notes, and build meaningful relationships with Ward 7 residents. We hope to grow this program to other parts of the city next year.

In many ways, 2024 showed us the importance of worker-led media and the appetite audiences have for journalism that directly responds to readers — not wealthy stakeholders. 

With the new year almost upon us, we’re so close to our goal of 2,000 members — with only 68 to go. This level of support will ensure we’re funded at our current capacity through mid-2025, and allow us to grow our funding streams to ensure long-term sustainability. Thank you for being such a huge part of building The 51st, we can’t express how grateful we are. 

There are lots of unknowns for our city going into 2025, but we’re planning to focus on what we do know: An informed public is a powerful one. For $9.99 a month (think of it as a little treat to yourself and the community), you're a part of ensuring our city has independent local journalism for years to come.

Thank you for being here and building this with us. 
Here’s to more in the new year! 

With love and gratitude, 
The 51st Team