14 ways to build a better D.C. this week

TUESDAY, SEPT. 22

DIY Night and Open House at The Punk Archive
⏰ 6 - 8 p.m.
📍 Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (901 G St. NW)
What's more punk than the public library? Perhaps a DIY zine-making event at the public library? The Punk Archive is hosting a DIY night, complete with button-making, zine crafting, and screen printing! After the DIY session, guests are invited to the People's Archive at 7 p.m. for a brief talk by Thomas Venker, the editor-in-chief of Kaput Magazine, who will be discussing D.C.'s punk roots. Stick around for a glimpse at some recovered footage of DC punk shows at the 9:30 Club of yesteryear. Free RSVP encouraged, but not mandatory.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23

Chocolate City Free DC orientation
⏰ 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
📍 All Souls Unitarian Church (1500 Harvard St NW)
Free DC, the city's organizing collective working to protect D.C.'s autonomy, is hosting an orientation for new members; this one is specifically aimed at bringing Black residents together for political education, strategizing, and organizing. After attending an orientation, members are then encouraged to work closely with their Ward team. You can RSVP here.

Free DC small business outreach training
⏰ 8 - 9 p.m.
📍 Virtual
Part of Free DC's efforts to protect the city involve boycotting the massive companies that ruin the world, and instead supporting the small, local businesses that have joined the fight. This training will prep folks with the information they need to enlist local businesses in the Free DC fight. You can RSVP here.

Paid family leave and workers' rights webinar
⏰ 7 p.m.
📍 Virtual
DC Jobs with Justice and the First Shift Justice Project are hosting a webinar for workers like you to keep us up-to-date on changes to D.C.'s paid family leave program. RSVP here.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 24

Art supply swap and market
⏰ 6 - 8 p.m.
📍 Brookland Arts Walk Artist Lounge (716 Monroe St. NE, Studio 8)
Living Room DC, an artsy hub we covered in our piece about the third-space boom, is teaming up with D.C. Goodwill's Finding Your Good and D.C. DIY legend Tim Kine for a free art swap. Bring the supplies that aren't calling your name and leave with inspiration for your next project. You can also bring paper, beads, and thread for Living Room to add to their art supply library!

Courtwatch DC training
⏰ 7 - 9 p.m.
📍 Virtual
Led by Harriet's Wildest Dreams with support from the DC Justice Lab and the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee, Courtwatch DC observes legal proceedings in D.C. courts. At this onboarding session, you'll learn how to document injustice in the criminal legal system and hold those involved accountable. RSVP here.

Ward 7 freedom dreaming session
⏰ 12 - 2 p.m.
📍 Sargent Memorial Presbyterian Church (5109 Nannie Helen Burroughs Ave. NE)
Free DC has been looking towards the future recently: How would political self-determination change life in D.C.? If we get statehood, what do D.C. residents want next? Join your neighbors at this event in Lincoln Heights to be part of the organization's community visioning process.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 25

Bol Feminist Book Club
⏰ 7 - 8 p.m.
📍 Bol Coop (716 Monroe St. NE, Studio 11)
Did you know Brookland's cooperative bookstore has a Feminist Book Club? Their read for September is Walking Through Fire, Egyptian writer, physician, and feminist Nawal El Saadawi's memoir about campaigning for women's rights and bodily autonomy in Egypt. The book is out of print — but register for the event, and organizers will send you a PDF!

SATURDAY, SEPT. 26

D.C. Community Organizing Festival
⏰ 12 - 4 p.m.
📍 University of the District of Columbia (4200 Connecticut Ave. NW)
Been looking for your political home in the city? this big-tent gathering from Rising Organizers — back for a second year — is a great place to start. Within our local university's student center, you'll find more than 30 different local groups working an issues from labor and public safety to food justice and more. There will also be music, snacks, and skill-sharing ... you know that's the good stuff! RSVP here.

Cop Watch training
⏰ 2 - 4 p.m.
📍 Provided upon RSVP
Harriet's Wildest Dreams will be teaching folks what to watch out for when you see the police in your community, when and how to engage with law enforcement, and how to document police without putting yourself or your neighbors in danger. You can RSVP here.

H Street Unity Day
⏰ 4 - 8 p.m.
📍 DC Liberation Center (337 H St. NE)
The DC Liberation Center (also featured in our guide to new third spaces) is celebrating all things H Street — bringing together residents and businesses for an afternoon of food, books, crafts, and live performance. You can sign up for the open mic here; otherwise, just roll through.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 27

Controlling the Story: Media Literacy Training
⏰ 2 - 4 p.m.
📍 Virtual or Black Workers Wellness Center (2500 MLK Ave. SE)
The Stop Terror Police Project DC, Black Lives Matter DC, Black Swan Academy, and Malcolm X Grassroots Movement D.C. are collaborating on a training that breaks down how media narratives shape real-life public safety policy. They'll cover bias in news coverage, best practices for interacting with the press, and more. Free meals and children's activities will be provided. RSVP here.

Lavender Evolutions x Living Lesbian Archive Crafternoon
⏰ 2 - 4:30 p.m.
📍 Southwest Neighborhood Library (900 Wesley Pl. SW)
The queer collective Lavender Evolutions is partnering with Black lesbian zine-making club The Living Lesbian Archive for a crafty autumn afternoon. They'll provide the supplies; you just need to bring yourself and any creative projects you're working on.

Southeast Community Town Hall
⏰ 12 p.m.
📍 R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center (2730 Martin Luther King Jr Ave. SE)
Pan-African Community Action is bringing together Southeast residents for an afternoon of conversation and planning, focusing on the issues affecting the quadrant's neighborhoods and what can be done about them. Attendees will be review three proposed projects and budgets, discuss revisions, and vote on which one will receive the collective's funding and support. You can RSVP here.