For the past 8 years, congregations around the DC metropolitan area, and around the country, have been participated in Labor in the Pulpit, Labor on the Bimah, Labor on the Minbar program as a way of remembering God’s call to pursue justice, honoring people’s labor and recalling the religious traditions that dignify and celebrate work.

When the Fenty administration closed 23 DC schools last year, housing advocates warned that the public property would wind up in private developer’s hands. A year later -- despite promises that he would not sell any of the schools – Fenty has solicited proposals from private developers to develop 11 of the schools into luxury condos. Meanwhile, the District government is spending almost $150 million a year in rent for government offices.

On May 28th the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA -part of the District of Columbia government) closed a rooming house located at 14th and Park NW (3415 14th St NW) due to a lack of electricity. The 15 Latino residents who were living there were given a matter of hours to move out of their housing. It was the second time in 24 hours that DC government asked an all-Latino building to leave their homes. The tenants of 14th Street were then put up in hotel rooms paid for by the city.