Building The 51st

Colorful newspaper boxes in various states of knocked over along a sidewalk in D.C.

Building The 51st

This is my nightmare — but hear me out

Hi there, Colleen here. 51st cofounder and reporter, formerly of DCist and WAMU. As your inbox probably suggests, it’s Giving Tuesday — that special day when every nonprofit you’ve ever given your email to reaches out with an open palm. Well, surprise, we’re going to do that too!

A mural painted in D.C., there are four children tending to the soil, with vibrant greens growing out of the earth.

Building The 51st

Help The 51st Grow—for Free!

We’ve been publishing for almost two months (!) and growing The 51st with you has been thrilling. Our progress has been heartening, and each day this dream of growing a sustainable worker-led newsroom for D.C. feels more and more possible. The crowdfunding campaign gave us the runway we needed

A picture of a sidewalk in D.C. with a small mural featuring fire, a first, and a traffic light.

Building The 51st

An antidote to despair

Focusing on what we can do.

A picture of a couple dozen people gathered in a garden on a sunny day, with colorful row houses in the background.

Building The 51st

D.C. Deserves Billionaire-Free Local News

If 5% of the people who have canceled their Washington Post subscriptions joined the 51st, we’d be fully funded.