Join Free DC’s Reading Groups!

A project of Free DC's Popular Education Working Group

Free DC Reading Groups are a space for collective learning and action, where members engage with literature, theory, and lived experiences to deepen our understanding of organizing and resistance. We will also practice how to engage in dialogue with each other as community members. Through facilitated discussions, we aim to connect what we learn directly to our work at Free DC, using reading as a tool to sharpen strategy and build organizing power.

After a successful first launch in Spring, we are re-launching new and improved reading groups again for the Fall. This time we will have four groups, each with a different focus but much overlap with each other.

Meetings will take place every other week, and we’re looking for members who are committed to regular participation. At minimum, please expect to commit to at least two reading group sessions. We hope you continue for longer but we understand!

All groups will start with a shared foundational reading before branching off based on their chosen focus. The reading assignment for your first session will be:

• Two articles of your choosing from Washington History journal, No. 2, Special Issue on the 50th Anniversary of Home Rule (~75 pages). The digital copy is free online as long as you log in with a DC library card. For a physical copy, DC History Center will give Free DC reading group members a discount on the newest issue of the Washington History journal (The normal price is $25, and they'll sell it to us for $20, using the discount code FREE20).
• CANVAS CORE Curriculum Part 1 (p. 12-81)

At the first session, facilitators will provide an initial reading list, but the direction of discussion and future readings will be shaped by the group itself. This is a space where shared leadership is encouraged and folks are welcome to step up or step back as appropriate.

If you have any questions, reach out to Natalya at NatalyaRBuchwald@gmail.com.

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We ask that you choose two groups, your first and second choice, from the list below. Please pay attention to dates and times. Locations are subject to change, your facilitators will update you accordingly. Please note any further accessibility needs when you sign up in the comment section (for example, if you would prefer a different location or need more details on ASL interpretation). Not long after you sign up, your facilitators will email you with next steps.

Reading Group 1: Whose Capital? Race, Power, and the Making of Chocolate City
Time: Mondays @ 6:30–8:00 PM, beginning September 29
Location: Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (901 G St NW)
Description: We’ll examine how race and power have shaped DC’s landscape, from racial covenants that restricted where Black families could live to highway construction that uprooted entire neighborhoods. Together we’ll explore how urban planning has been used as a tool of exclusion and control, while also highlighting community resistance and visions for a just city. The group connects these histories to today’s fights over housing, displacement, and belonging in the nation’s capital.
Rotating Facilitators: Natalya, Anne, Larkin, Kaila

Reading Group 2: The Politics of Place: Histories of Struggles over DC’s Physical Form
Time: Tuesdays @ 6:00–7:30 PM, beginning September 30
Location: Shaw/Watha T. Daniel Neighborhood Library (1630 7th St. NW)
Description: We'll be studying historical cases of creating, altering, and/or disrupting the built environment of DC, including the impact of being a federal territory. Our study will include (but not be limited to) a specific examination of the Shaw neighborhood.
Rotating Facilitators: Amanda, Tim, Emma, April, Amos

Reading Group: Global Resistance Tactics  
Time: Thursdays @ 7:00–8:30 PM, beginning October 2
Location: Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (901 G St NW)
Description: This 5-session reading group will explore how authoritarian movements gain power and how communities around the world have resisted them. We’ll study global tactics of resistance, successful historical examples, and personal testimony from those on the front lines. We will use articles, book chapters, and other multimedia sources to grow our understanding. We’ll ground our discussions in DC’s current moment of rising authoritarianism. Our goal is to learn from global struggles, sharpen our understanding of successful resistance strategies, and connect these lessons to Free DC’s fight for democracy and statehood.
Rotating Facilitators: Hannah, Susan, Susanna, Eli

Reading Group 4: Global Resistance Tactics
Time: Sundays @ 2:00–4:00 PM, beginning October 5
Location: St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Capitol Hill (301 A St SE)
Description: This 5-session reading group will explore how authoritarian movements gain power and how communities around the world have resisted them. We’ll study global tactics of resistance, successful historical examples, and personal testimony from those on the frontlines. We will use articles, book chapters, and other multimedia sources to grow our understanding. We’ll ground our discussions in DC’s current moment of rising authoritarianism. Our goal is to learn from global struggles, sharpen our understanding of successful resistance strategies, and connect these lessons to Free DC’s fight for democracy and statehood.
Rotating Facilitators: Erica and Grace

Happy reading! We look forward to building power with you!