11 ways to get involved around D.C. this week

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Each week, we list some ways to get engaged in the city — whether that’s protesting, organizing with your neighbors, or testifying before your councilmembers. This isn't an exhaustive list; share your events and trainings with us at 51st.news/submit-events.

For more ways to get connected, check out our resources roundup; and for more to do around the city, don't miss our Weekend Events post.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20

ROC-DC Relaunch and Fundraiser
⏰ 5 - 8:30 p.m.
📍 The Festival Center (1640 Columbia Rd. NW)
ROC-DC, a coalition of restaurant workers, is relaunching under a new name: The Restaurant Organizing Collective. This fundraiser will celebrate worker power and the group's recent wins in D.C., while honoring community leaders working to build a better restaurant industry. There will, of course, be good food and great hospitality. Tickets are $50 and all proceeds go to the Restaurant Organizing Collective.

The Masks We Wear: Art & Conversation
⏰ 2:30 - 5 p.m.
📍 The DC Center (1827 Wiltberger St. NW)
The DC LGBTQ+ Community Center is partnering with House of Ruth for another Art & Conversation workshop. The free session, facilitated by art therapist Jenny Christakos, will explore identity, community, and belonging. Paint will be involved, so dress accordingly! No RSVP required.

Test out ranked-choice voting
⏰ 5 - 8 p.m.
📍 Truesdell Elementary School (800 Ingraham St. NW)
It's like a warm-up for the real deal; try out ranked-choice voting ahead of the primary at this special dry-run event with ANC 4D, featuring an actual voting machine. A representative from the Board of Elections will be there to show folks the ropes, as the advisory neighborhood commission hosts their monthly public meeting.

THURSDAY, MAY 21

Free DC Ward 8 Team meeting
⏰ 7 - 8 p.m.
📍 Virtual
It's time for the monthly meeting of Free DC members in Ward 8. This meeting is for folks who have attended a Free DC orientation already; if you haven't, they're hosting one specifically by and for Black D.C. residents on May 28, or a virtual orientation open to all on June 7. You can register for the Ward 8 meeting here.

Ward 6 Free DC trivia
⏰ 7 - 9 p.m.
📍 as you are. (500 8th St. SE)
Ward 6 experts: Come test your knowledge of D.C. and your neighborhood at a specially themed trivia night with Free DC. No experience with Free DC or trivia expertise is required! RSVP here.

Pinball Prom: Ward 1 Mutual Aid fundraiser
⏰ 6:30 p.m.
📍 Lyman's Tavern (3720 14th St. NW)
If you hated your high school prom, now's your chance at a do-over: Ward 1 Mutual Aid is hosting its spring formal at Lyman's, with a raffle, photo booth, and award for the best-dressed attendee, and (of course) a pinball tournament. A full 100% of certain beer purchases will go towards Ward 1 Mutual Aid. RSVP here.

SATURDAY, MAY 23

Housing Action Coalition Candidate Forum
⏰ 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
📍 R.I.S.E. Demonstration Center (2730 Martin Luther King Jr Ave. SE)
We're really in the thick of election season now. Several local housing and affordability organizations, like Fair Budget DC and D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, are holding a panel to collectively press candidates running in the primary on their housing plans. There will be a Zoom option if you can't attend in person. You can RSVP here. (And don't miss our election coverage!)

SUNDAY, MAY 24

Juror Information Project
⏰ 2 - 4 p.m.
📍 MLK Library (901 G St. NW)
Join Harriet's Wildest Dreams and Free DC to learn from legal experts and activists about how you can use serving on a jury to push for justice and fairness in the court system. RSVP here.

3D Mapping to Rewild a Vacant Lot
⏰ 3 - 5 p.m.
📍 Temperance Alley Garden (1931 13th St. NW)
U Street neighbors are reshaping the Temperance Alley Sanctuary within the Temperance Alley Garden; this landscape design session will use stakes and string to map out last month's potential visions. Attendees will also learn how to transplant and relocate native plants, and how to select plants that will make D.C. more ecologically resilient. No RSVP needed.

MONDAY, MAY 25

Remember George Floyd Prayer Vigil
⏰ 11 - 12:30 p.m.
📍 3100 14th St. NW
The Boycott Target DC Coalition and local faith leaders are holding a vigil to mark the sixth anniversary of George Floyd's murder. They'll meet outside of the Columbia Height's Target, which activists have been boycotting for more than a year following the company's rollback of diversity commitments and, later, its cooperation with ICE.

TUESDAY, MAY 26

Free DC Ward 4 & 5 meetings
⏰ 6 - 8 p.m.
📍 Ward 4: Christ Lutheran Church (5101 16th St. NW)
📍 Ward 5: St. Martin of Tours Church (1908 North Capitol St. NW)
Ward 4 and 5 neighbors will be holding their respective monthly Free DC meetings, each in a local church. If you're new to Free DC, it's best to attend a campaign orientation first before joining a ward meeting. You can find the schedule of orientations here; they're next hosting one specifically by and for Black D.C. residents on May 28, or a virtual orientation open to all on June 7.