Dee Dwyer
Aja Drain
The holiday season is upon us and amidst all the cheer, we’re also wrapped up in finding the perfect gift for the ones we love and care about.
But gifts aren’t always a given. They can be a luxury that is out of reach for some families, especially with skyrocketing rents in D.C., as well as inflation. So community organizers in Wards 7 and 8 are trying to fill that need by providing gifts, school supplies, and support for families across D.C.
“I’m just excited that the families are able to wake up on Christmas morning and have more under the tree than they thought they would have,” says Kenny Brown, co-founder of Get On The Bus. This is their sixth year running the program reaching students all across D.C., but with a specific emphasis on Wards 7 and 8.“I believe everybody should have that feeling that I felt growing up on Christmas.”
Brown founded the organization with two friends, and their focus is bringing not only toys to kids during the holidays but school uniforms as well.
But gifting can also go beyond the physical. For example, Marcelles Queen is taking part in a “Week of Healing” program. His portion will address gun violence in Wards 7 and 8, and will offer a free brunch, panel, and a short documentary screening. The focus is on healing families, supporting gun violence prevention and opening conversations so people can process their emotions together.
“I hope it touches someone, I hope it change’s somebody’s direction, helps them to move differently,” Queen says. “I want to help single Black mothers and single Black men.”
For this edition of Voices of Wards 7 and 8, DCist spoke with organizers about how they are bringing gifts and support not just to their community, but across D.C. this holiday season and how they hope to continue their projects all year long.
Their responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Artecka Brown – Mother of Christopher Brown (17 year-old who died as a result of gun violence) & Founder, Christopher Brown’s Heart Beats (non-profit)
What does holiday giving mean to you?
It’s pretty much bringing the community together where we can have a safe gathering for the event, where we are giving our community resources, whether it is clothing, whether it’s COVID kits. This year, we’re doing arts and crafts for the children. We’re trying to connect with Martha’s Table, where they will have coats, clothing that would prepare people, for jobs or just, you know, being warm and give back to family members that they know that may need clothes. And we also have presents for the children and performances that will come out to bring some joy into the neighborhood.
Hillcrest Recreation Center is pretty much doing this event and we are helping them. Christopher Brown’s Heart Beats is helping them with this event, and many others. Palm Collective, Black Lives Matter DC, Harriet’s Wildest Dreams. There’s a lot of us just coming together and helping out.
The Christopher Brown Foundation is helping the youth, whether it’s basketball, whether it’s CPR, first aid, to save a life. I feel like my son life could have been maybe saved if CPR was performed the correct way on the scene where he passed away. Yet I also feel like basketball is something that Christopher loved and was in his heart so I’m just trying to give our youth opportunities, in just a calming environment, maybe a gym where they can play safely and we can again meet all the youth’s needs – whether it’s dancing, basketball, you know, things like that. So it’s all about helping the youth and having a place in the environment where you can just be a kid.
We do it so that we can spread the love all over different parts of D.C., and we’re just connecting in different ways, whether it’s Thanksgiving, feeding the homeless or whether it’s back to school events, or Christmas events where there is also crafts and there are presents being given to children. So we just really do it just to share love and to keep the memory of our loved ones going.
Charnal Chaney – Founder, Bold Yoga & Organizer “Week Of Healing”
I’m a Ward 8 resident. I teach the youth in our community yoga, meditation, provide them a safe space to be able to talk about the violence that’s happening in our community because it’s not normal and it’s become culture. A lot of us are just condoning that culture in one way or another. So, having those moments or those small conversations to shift our culture or create new norms is what I give them the space to do.
This year I actually had a few people who wanted to give back – so I told them ‘we’re going to throw a party and ya’ll can pull up with ya’ll’s gifts and stuff’ and I’m going to have the youth that I’ve been serving throughout the year there,’ so they’ll be able to pull up and help some kids that need some stuff.
Being from the community and serving the community, I just think it’s important to give back to that community. Just seeing where a lot of our mothers fall short and knowing a lot of this stuff is systemic, right? Because of our hurt and our pain, we blame one another. A lot of it really is systemic. When you know that, you just want to take care of your people in the best way that you can.
How did you get into the industry of giving back?
I was helping my mom’s non-profit first. First we did our Christmas party like two years ago. Since then I’ve just been plugging in with people. I don’t really always do my own events. This year would be my first year doing a Christmas party myself. Normally I just plug in with the people because it be so many events happening. And sometimes people want yoga – I’d be like, ‘okay, cool I could come do the yoga.’ That’s me giving back, you know, giving my peace back. Or people want toys and I’ve dropped off toys at other people’s events.
Tell us about your week-long event.
It’s an initiative where the community is coming together to give back a week of healing. We’re going to be providing art therapy, music therapy. We’re going to have healing circles happening, we’re going to feed people. It’s us giving back to the community where we live. A lot of us are, you know, hurting. It’s the holiday season, we’ve lost a lot of people. So just coming together to heal as a community is just like really important.
What inspired you to do a week of healing?
Last year we did a day of healing, it stemmed from that. I was having different conversations because I guess people consider me as a community healer. I don’t really like to call myself a healer because I feel like everybody can heal themselves. I’m just that person to help you ignite that within yourself. So I don’t really like to, for personal reasons and ego reasons, I don’t like to take on that name. There were incidents around addiction we knew that need to be highlighted. We had different people that was coming to me saying they wanted to do different things. I’m like, well, let’s all bring this together and just make it a full week and we can bring our resources and our people that we serve together to put this on a for the community. And that was kind of how it all occurred.
When it comes to gift giving, I think people should really check their intentions. Make sure they are giving with good intent because that’s what we are always being judged by, is not the action itself, but the intention behind the actions. As long as your intentions are pure, it doesn’t matter what’s happening on the opposite end of the stick.
Latasha Jones – Founder, Elevated Approach & Organizer “Week Of Healing”
Why is it important to give back to Wards 7 and 8?
I think it’s really important because you have the opportunity to help people get some things they haven’t had before or just show some kindness on this side [of the river]. I feel like a lot of times we view this side, like super in need, but you would be surprised of the people here who are thriving and are able to help. I feel like it’s a great balance and I think it’s important to give from your heart. I like to give things that aren’t necessarily wants but more like needs. You know, like what do you really need? What do you need to start that podcast? What do you need to get your new thing going? I feel like it’s important to give from that space.
How are you going to give and give back during this time?
We’re going to be doing a week of healing, all over D.C. actually. We’re going to be doing yoga, meditation, art therapy. I’ve been going through my closet and purging shoes, purses and asking my friends to do the same. I haven’t chosen a teen shelter, but I want to choose probably Covenant House or something like that. I really want to go in and set it up real cute. Have the clothes themed, let the girls go in there and pick through accessories. You know, as ladies sometimes we shop and don’t use any of the things that we bought. I have a lot of things with tags on it that I’m sure someone else would be grateful to get that, it’s just sitting in my closet collecting dust. I usually pick a student from my old school and do something for them as well. It’s always fun to choose a girl who I can give a little glam day or something like that to.
I want to encourage everyone to use their best to be their best. Really take the time to just know that your mind is so powerful and everything you think of, you are. If you think you’re nothing, you’re nothing. If you think you’re great, you’re great. It’s just that simple. When you think you can do great things in your community, you can. You know, every idea of this week, the healing, all of this was a simple idea from someone. It was a thought, right? And then we put action behind it. You make it happen. Remember, your brain is powerful and it’s all possible. Let’s do the healing together. Let’s do the
Kimberly Martin – ANC Ward 7
I was approached by a couple of people to help out. I would normally assist people with their events. This year we’ll do a collective giveaway at the library, Capitol View Library, near my home because I have a neighbor who dresses up as Santa. So I wanted to do something different for the kids. So it will have Have a Santa’s station with pictures and stuff like that. Hopefully the little ones will be excited about that.
I think our kids in that area [Wards 7 & 8], you know, need a little bit more hope, something [more] to look forward to than others. I mean, not to say all kids don’t need it, but just, you know, the trauma, different things that they experience in the neighborhood and everything like that. I mean, it’s always good to give back, you know, put a smile on kids’ faces, you know, give them hope, for something they can just dream about. Or to get free stuff, things that their mother might not be able to give them. So I think that’s important for the area, for Wards 7 and 8.
I think giving and stuff has to go throughout the year. I understand the holiday time is when everybody’s in the giving spirit . These kids are going to need us in March, you know what I’m saying? They’re going to need us before Easter, in that in-between time stretch when they don’t have any holidays from school. When they’re going through it by being in the house, doing the day to day grind of homework, activities, getting on their parents nerves – parents getting on their nerves. They’re gonna need us year round.
Marcellus Queen – Founder, It Takes A Village (non-profit)
Gift giving is coming from your heart even if you don’t got it like that. If you’ve got kids and you don’t have any money – I feel like you can make it work sometimes. It can be some arts and crafts thing, sometimes it’s just from the heart, whatever. So it could be a book, it doesn’t have to be something extravagant if you don’t got it – running around doing anything trying to make it happen. It’s about the kids, it’s about the festivities of the holiday season.
I’m part of a series called Week of Healing, and inside the Week of Healing, I came up with a concept where…there’s a lot of gun violence in Washington, D.C., but not even just Washington, D.C., in major metropolitan areas with Black people. I feel that a lot of people kind of are more focused on, oh, let’s take the guns off the streets or let’s incarcerate people. I feel like we need to heal our families. I feel like we need to get our people back on track.
I remember when I was incarcerated I had a Hispanic cellmate, his family sent letters, his cousins and aunts. He used to get a thousand letters every day. Scriptures from the Bible. They used to flood his mail. But Black people, they ain’t send no mail to each other or nothing like that. We’re missing the togetherness, and it’s shows in our in our kids, it shows in the back to back struggles that we go through. I feel like, let’s heal our families, heal us as a people, it’s not just about gun violence. That’s the extreme fact of it. That’s the ending of it. How did we get to that point? A lot of people can blame slavery and different colors of people, but at the end of the day, it’s really on us to fix ourselves and make us better and make ourselves one.
For my event [I’m providing] music, food. I came up with this cool portrait that I’m doing right now. It’s canvases with with this whole background of kids that died from gunfire. I put Save Our Kids across it. I chose a panel, three men, three women. It’s a real deep conversation. Both sides have valid points and I don’t want it to turn it to a man versus woman thing because at the end we need to turn to a healing thing. I hope it touches someone, I hope it change’s somebody’s direction, helps them to move differently.
Charles Gussom – Assistant Director Of Community Development, Martha’s Table & Co-Founder, Community Connoisseurs (both non-profit organizations)
What does holiday gift giving mean to you?
It’s to make people feel appreciated and loved. Often in our community, some children can’t receive during the season of giving due to their family circumstances. On Dec. the 11th, we have a huge holiday giveaway at Johnson Middle School with Daniel Gafford who’s a Washington Wizards player. We’ll be giving out hundreds of toys, food, clothes in partnership with my nonprofit (Community Connoisseurs).
Community Connoisseurs has been around since 2016. It really developed because a lot of the individuals who are on our board, me included, we endured the trials and tribulations of growing up in a poverty-stricken community. We’ve been self-funded since 2016. Three pillars of our organization are youth development, mentorship, and minority entrepreneurship training. Our mission is to help at risk youth and premature adults. Our board, mentors, volunteers, and donors – if they’re interested in being a mentor, we train and connect them with youth in every corridor of the city.
We do annual giveaways. Around Martin Luther King Day, we do a distribution of winter items [like] clothes, hats, gloves, socks, you name it, toiletries. A part of that is pulling some of the youth we work with daily to give them that volunteer experience, to be able to give back in their community and get a sense of philanthropy. Coming up in these communities we aren’t taught the importance of giving and of service.
If you’re able to give, whether it’s monetary whether it’s with time or energy, please consider doing it because a lot of families in our communities are in need of support. It’s a very sentimental time especially for the youth during the holiday season. It’s imperative to people who are blessed and can be able to help a family out in some capacity even if it’s donating 5 dollars or 10 to give towards these different charity events. If you can serve as a mentor, often we are given these wonderful blessings from God, it’s imperative we teach what we know and reproduce who we are because there are children and adults who really need our support.
Tenika Brown – Co Founder, Bullying Is Not Dope
We have an organization, Bullying Is Not Dope, where we focus on bridging the gap between the effects of bullying and mental illnesses in urban communities. We do a lot of outreach and community work in both Wards 7 and 8. We have a heavy presence in Ward 8 through our various partnerships with the Councilman’s office, Trayon White, along with other community-based organizations like NeverBlackDown. So we’ve been kind of connected, deeply rooted in Ward 8 for the last 3 to 4 years.
How do you plan to give during this holiday season?
We will be giving out toys between the age groups of 4 to 17. A lot of local churches actually stepped up to bless not only just us with toys, but also the NeverBlackDown community based organization who we will be partnered with on the event. We’ve also been doing a toy drive, so we’ve been collecting toys as well for the same age group 4 to 17. So we’ll have a gift wrapping party where we’ll wrap the toys. We actually have the Grinch that will be on site to engage the families, along with a Black Santa that we will leverage to give out toys. Just to kind of bring, you know, a spirit of love and giving to the South Capitol neighborhood, because there’s been so much violence around that foot traffic at the 7-Eleven not too far, well, really across the street from the AutoZone. We want to kind of change the dynamics with this holiday supper, so we’ll also giveaway 100 plus meals. We’ll give away 20 baskets to some of the families – with trimmings and gift cards to provide Christmas dinner. So this is definitely going to be a vibe.
I think the holiday supper will become an annual thing where we can potentially make it a road show. So, adopting various neighborhoods that are underserved and under-resourced, we could come through and just kind of support those families in need. Not just specifically with toys and Christmas dinner, but potentially blessing them with maybe gift cards or some type of certificates towards Pepco bills and/or light bills. Because we do understand hard times hit at any time, not just the holiday-time.
I think the most important thing that we want to remember is that when you give, you give with a cheerful heart, right? You give with the intent of it being a blessing. You lean in with empathy, not sympathy, because we are all human. When you think about it, everyone is really one paycheck away from being homeless themselves. So when you lean in with all of those things, don’t forget to leave love behind this holiday season.
Kenny Brown – Head Football Coach & College/Career Coordinator, Ballou Senior High School
For me, [giving back] it’s become sort of a tradition for me and two of close my friends. We started this thing called “Get on the Bus” a couple of years back. We try to target all wards in the city, but we make sure we definitely do Wards 7 and 8, two wards that are near and dear to me. We collect uniforms and we collect toys. People donate extra but typically it’s based around uniforms and toys because we all started in education. Being in education we’ve seen there’s a need for uniforms. You know, some kids are less fortunate than others and have to repeat the same uniforms multiple days a week. In reaching out to our networks, they help us at least put a dent in stopping some kids from having to do that.
When it comes to the toys aspect, we helped a lot of families out over the course of five years. I think that’s an accomplishment in itself. We’ve helped a multitude of neighborhoods, you know, Lincoln Heights, Clay Terrace, Kenilworth, Benning Rd., you know, Potomac Gardens. Over the years we’ve been able to help all the communities and all them pockets of people. We try to [collaborate with] Black owned venues with real D.C. natives like us.
The setup is our peers, people who support our event, will come eat and fellowship with us. But at the same time, they’ll be bringing a uniform, or toys. Sometimes families will come pick up things from the events. We know D.C. right, especially Ward 7 and Ward 8, it’s a lack of transportation sometimes. What we also do, you know, we go into the neighborhoods, we’re pretty connected enough to go into these neighborhoods and deliver straight to the families. It’s a captivating experience in a way.
I’ll never forget that second year, it was around Kenilworth and it was a group of dudes outside and they saw us walking with toys. I said, ‘What’s up,’ to all of them them, yada yada. We had a big donation and I said, ‘Anything ya’ll need?’ One of them said, ‘I got two daughters, bro, and I’m struggling.’ I went to the trunk and let him pick out whatever. He was so appreciative. Just that feeling every year. There’s just so much that comes from this event every year, just to make sure our city’s good.
I just realized in life, you honestly get what you give. When it comes to the holiday season, it’s like literally the best time of the year. If you can help make it the best time of the year for other people and just be in that holiday spirit, so to speak, you know, going from Thanksgiving to Christmas, if you can help somebody be in a holiday spirit, I really encourage you to do so. There’s no feeling like seeing a family that is really appreciative of you or knowing a family is having a better day because of you. The only way to really grow this town is to help pick each other up. I think that needs to be the motto in the holiday season, pick each other up.
