Meet our team: Abigail Higgins
It takes a village to make The 51st. We’ll occasionally dedicate some space to introducing a member of the team.
What’s your relationship to D.C.? Are you from the area and, if not, why did you move here?
I grew up in the Seattle area (the other Washington!) and then spent almost a decade as a journalist in East Africa. I landed in D.C. for a short-term gig about six years ago. I assumed it would be a brief stay but then I fell in love – first with a person, then with the city – and now I can’t imagine living anywhere else.
What do you love about local news and why did you decide to become a co-founder of The 51st?
I loved the thrill and the challenge of being a foreign correspondent. Getting to travel, constantly trying to understand new political contexts, and navigating the challenge of storytelling across cultures is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.
But I was always envious of the direct connection local journalists had to their communities – it’s an inherently different relationship when you’re reporting on a place you call home, for people who are your neighbors. When I first dipped my toes into D.C reporting, I was struck by how much more engaged readers were – people have a stake in local news, and it shows.
Worker-run cooperatives are one of the few bright spots in what has been a bleak few years for journalism. When I got the chance to be a part of that movement here in D.C., I couldn’t have said yes fast enough.
What’s your perfect D.C. day?
Probably one of my favorite D.C. bike rides – maybe from Petworth to Fort Dupont, stopping at one of the breweries along the Metropolitan Branch Trail and then at Union Market for lunch. I’ll also take any chance I get to bike the C&O Canal Trail.
What do you wish people knew about D.C.?
What an international city it is! Between D.C.’s many immigrant communities and the number of people working in internationally-facing careers, D.C. feels intimately connected to the rest of the world in a way that’s rare for an American city.
Where would you eat your last D.C. meal?
Thip Khao, and I’d get Naem Khao, the crispy coconut rice salad, and Khao Poon, vermicelli noodles in red coconut curry, and I’d order their twist on an Old Fashioned.
