Washington Interfaith Network and Calvary

by Drew Bongiovanni

Drew is a Calvary community member and WIN organizer who helps manage our relationship with the help of the Missions Committee. 

On March 6th, the Washington Interfaith Network is hosting its second of two large candidate forums this election season.

The theme of the action is the changing demographics of DC–the nearly 15,000 residents the city is gaining each year, most of whom are age 20 to 35 –has affected this city and issues of relationship building, legislation, and budgeting. The action is a kick-off for what WIN will do to build a broad-based network, and how our network will respond to the changes this city is experiencing.

Although these changes come as part of a new era of economic prosperity for DC, rapid redevelopment in parts of the city has led to skyrocketing prices real estate and shortages of affordable housing that has made life here difficult for many.

This has created in our city a constant tension, a perception that DC is split between new and long-term resident, between have and have-not, where residents of differing age, race, and class do not see one another as neighbors. The voice of the media often insists that new and native DC residents are at odds, pitting these communities against one another by warning that they do not share the same vision for the city.

The action is about seeing whether DC residents can meet that tension head-on and unify around common interests such building affordable housing, ending homelessness, and creating living wage jobs.

WIN seeks to organize across the divides, and bring together the twenty-somethings who share rooms and split rents on Capitol Hill, the families that move into the suburbs, and the seniors who are all struggling to afford housing in the district. To bring together the 18 year-old that has found themself without a place to sleep and the recent college graduate who has moved to the city for their very first job. To organize the rider of a city bus and the bus driver to work together to demand fair wages. To discover the common ground between the young couple that worries they will need to move from the city to raise kids to those whose roots to this city are too deep for them to ever imagine leaving.

This action is an opportunity to show the candidates for mayor that our members, young and young-at-heart, longtime and recent resident, all care about DC. The action will be young-adult led and have prominent attendance from young adult WIN members as we introduce a new electorate of young voters in DC. Join WIN to stand as Washingtonians who understand the importance of collaboration and relationship, invested in living here and working here, and see all the people that live in their neighborhood as their neighbors, committed to building relationships that bridge divides.