Zurawski said that her doctors considered her to be at risk enough to have labor induced only after she slipped into life-threatening septic shock. She recounted that she almost died twice because of a delayed abortion.

“Maybe the world wasn’t ready for you and that’s why we never got to share it,” Zurawski wrote in an Instagram post addressed to her unborn daughter. “After all, look at all that’s been done through you, with your strength, despite you not being next to me at all.”

The Texas Heartbeat Act

Zurawski’s water broke two days before the Texas Heartbeat Act went into effect on Aug. 25, 2022. The law, enacted in May 2021, included a trigger provision that allowed the law to go into effect 30 days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The Court did that in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which it issued June 26, 2022.

The law prohibits abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, except in life-threatening conditions. For Zurawski, a fetal heartbeat was detected and thus an abortion was denied. 

Texas set the stage as other red states eyed the model of the newly implemented trigger law. “We were 100%, definitely going to lose the baby, but her heart was still beating,” Zurawski told 91����. 

Zurawski recounted her experience of feeling anger when she was initially told that labor could not be induced. “That would have been considered an illegal abortion since her heart was still beating.”

Today, Zurawski is the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit filed against the state of Texas over its abortion ban with regards to complicated pregnancies. The global legal advocacy group the Center of Reproductive Rights originally filed the lawsuit in March 2023 with Zurawski and several other women.

The total number of patients suing Texas in this case now stands at 20.

Texas counties: abortion bans are not enough

The battle over access to reproductive rights is far from over. 

Nowhere is that more clear than in Texas where counties have been passing ordinances that are placing restrictions on using certain roads and highways to get to another state for abortions.

“The intent behind these ordinances is to fear-monger and intimidate,” said Zurawski. “I think what they don’t realize is that we are not going to put up with this.”

Zurawski emphasized that while a 10-hour car drive to the nearest state for an abortion would have been a death sentence for her owing to potential sepsis, the “abortion trafficking” ordinances instilled fear among abortion seekers like herself from receiving abortions.

At the forefront of the structuring of these ordinances are Mark Lee Dickson, a pastor and director for the Right to Life East Texas, and Jonathan Mitchell, former solicitor general and architect of the Texas Senate Bill 8. Opponents coined this as the “bounty-hunter”law because it allows private citizens to bring forward civil claims against those who aid and abet abortions. 

The “abortion-trafficking” ordinances are designed after SB 8.

A prime motive of the ordinances is restricting access to the county’s highways to prevent an abortion seeker from traveling to another state, according Dickson who founded the n Initiative in the process. 

“The ordinance does not penalize the mother of the unborn child,” Dickson told 91����. “It’s only those who are involved in assisting her in the abortion.”

Dickson said that counties and cities were completely within their rights to look after what happened within their jurisdiction. “If we want to say that our roads cannot be used for this practice, we can pass laws for what happens here in our counties, in our cities.” 

Opponents argue that these ordinances are not legal.

On July 14 2023, Mitchell County in Texas was the first county in the U.S to adopt an ordinance that outlawed abortion and “abortion trafficking” within city limits, according to the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn’s website. Mitchell County did not respond to comment on this story.

, the latest addition to the list of counties outlawing “abortion trafficking,” passed an ordinance on Dec. 18 2023, that would bar abortion seekers from using roads that run through the unincorporated area of the county to get to another state to avail abortion care. 

“They’re using terms like “abortion trafficking” and want people to believe that there are all these women who are being forced against their will to get an abortion,” said Kristin Trapp, an attorney at Minneapolis-based law firm Best & Flanagan and a researcher for gender, policy and inequalities.

“I have not ever come across any research of that happening, nor can I really think of much of a reason why or how that could happen,” said Trapp. “This is healthcare.”

Dawson County is the fifth county in Texas that approved the “abortion trafficking” ordinance following , Cochran, Goliad and Mitchell. The ordinance is currently tabled in the city of Llano. A citizen-led petition to enact a ban is gaining support in the city of .

Abortion trafficking : ‘A great evil’

Confusion about the enforceability of these ordinances persists. Even among the commissioners who signed them into existence.

The Mitchell County ordinance states that Mitchell County Commissioners’ Court found that Texans were affected by abortion services across the Texas and New Mexico border and were “being sent to Texas for our counties and cities to deal with the aftermath.”

Dennis Jones, one of the four commissioners at Mitchell County who voted for  the resolution, told in September 2023 that the ordinances were “unenforceable” and “unnecessary.” 

Jones declined to comment for this story. However, to Rolling Stone, Jones mirrored what Dickson said about keeping “abortion clinics out of counties.”

According to , Jones said that while the initial ordinance aimed at keeping abortion clinics out of county limits, the restrictions imposed on highway travel was an “afterthought.”

Dickson told 91���� that the life of a child was worth protecting, and mothers were meant to protect their children.

“What about my life?,” said Zurawski. “Is my life worth throwing away?”

Zurawski said that these laws have thrown away the lives of the children that she may never be able to have due to permanent damage to her reproductive organs.

Dickson equated “abortion trafficking” to sex trafficking, considering it on the same wavelength and labeled it to be “a great evil.”

“We are doing everything we can to end abortion, not just in Texas, but also the United States of America,” said Dickson.

How private citizens become so-called bounty hunters

The ordinances are modeled after the abortion “bounty” law, that states that the enforcement of these ordinances relies on private citizens to sue those aiding abortion seekers to cross state-lines.

While the ordinances can only be enforced exclusively through private civil lawsuits, state district court judge David Peeples that private citizen enforcement mechanisms were in violation of Texas state laws and was thus deemed unconstitutional.

Trapp said that it is a constitutional requirement to have standing to prove that you’ve been injured to be qualified as a plaintiff to sue.

Trapp said that citizens suing people aiding abortions without proof of injury or harm is attenuated. “You’re basically saying you don’t have to establish standing and that’s the unconstitutional piece.”

The private enforcement mechanism dismisses the idea of standing which questions the constitutionality of the ordinances as a whole, according to Trapp.

Abortion rights activists are fighting back

Republican lawmakers did not stop with criminalizing abortion access. 

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton targeted individuals and organizations who aided and abetted abortion seekers with logistical support for interstate travel. 

Groups funding abortion were now targeted.

Fund Texas Choice, an abortion fund that helps pregnant people receive abortion care, with eight other support funds, responded by against Paxton in 2022 to continue to provide logistical support to Texans who wished to travel to another state to avail abortions. 

U.S District Judge Robert Pitman issued an injunction to protect abortion funds from criminalization. 

Heather Allison, a public policy expert at Fund Texas Choice, said that Mitchell put in requests with the organization asking for information about clients and those helping the clients with abortions. 

“They are not entitled to this information, because helping someone seeking abortion out of state is still legal,” emphasized Allison. “That’s really important to know.”

At the same time, legislative bodies like the Texas Freedom Caucus have been targeting those aiding abortions too. 

The lawsuit by Fund Texas Choice also came in response to threats made by the Texas Freedom Caucus to Dallas-based law firm Sidley Austin. The law firm reimbursed travel costs for employees who traveled for out-of-state abortions. 

The Texas Freedom Caucus is a far-right congressional caucus in the Texas House of Representatives. In June 2022, the Texas Freedom Caucus issued a to Sidley Austin informing the firm of “the consequences that you and your colleagues will face for these actions.” 

Fund Texas Choice continues to endure attacks from anti-abortion activists according to Allison. 

“They are engaging in harassing litigation tactics to try and stop us from helping people seek abortions out of state,” said Allison. “But we are continuing to help people get out of state and in compliance with the abortion bans and with our court order.”

The fight for reproductive justice continues

“More than a year out,and I still get insanely angry thinking about it,” said Zurawski. 

Zurawski said that with the anger and the frustration, she feels motivated to bring about change. “I’m determined, I’m very determined.”

The Supreme Court of Texas on Nov. 28 heard oral arguments on the initial 2023 state’s appeal of the district court ruling from Zurawski and the 19 other plaintiffs on abortion laws and their role with complicated pregnancies. 

On the same day as the Supreme Court heard arguments in Zurawski v. Texas, Kate Cox, a 31-year old Dallas woman, received news that her child was diagnosed with a fatal chromosomal anomaly. 

Cox proceeded to file a lawsuit to terminate her pregnancy at 20 weeks. However, Paxton classified Cox’s situation as not life-threatening. 

Paxton said that if Cox intervened in her pregnancy in any way, her physician would be charged with first degree felony charges. 

Cox left Texas to seek an abortion elsewhere.

“Whether it’s through this lawsuit or something else, I won’t stop until either something changes or I die trying,” Zurawski told 91����.

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Earlier this semester, Georgetown and the Society of Jesus, the formal name for the Jesuits, announced a $27 million contribution to the Descendants Truth and Reconciliation Foundation to help descendants of those enslaved by the order of Catholic priests and the school the order founded.��

According to the foundation, these contributions include $10 million from Georgetown and $17 million from the Jesuits. The $17 million from the Jesuits is based on the estimated value of plantation land where many descendants’ ancestors were enslaved, along with an additional $10 million, the foundation said.��

This most recent contribution is in addition to the $15 million the Jesuits contributed when the foundation was created. The organization also said that Georgetown previously provided it with a $1 million implementation grant.

In 1838, the leaders of the Society of Jesus sold 272 enslaved people to plantation owners in Louisiana and Maryland to save the university from mounting debt and to fund other church-related activity, according to Rachel Swarns’ book, “The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church.”

The foundation is a nonprofit organization that aims “to mitigate the dehumanizing impact of racism while dismantling the continuing legacy of slavery in America through truth, racial healing and transformation,” according to their website.

In addition to providing scholarships to descendants for higher education, the fund will aid in “truth-seeking, racial healing and transformation programs and activities that can lead to internalizing the truth about slavery,” according to the foundation’s website.

Georgetown is just one of several U.S universities and colleges coming to grips with their historic connections to slavery. Harvard University is another school doing so.

In April 2022, Harvard released the Report of the Committee on Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery and announced a $100 million commitment to fulfil the report’s recommendations.��

Initiatives like these aim to uncover the institution’s ties “to slavery through deep research guided by a committee of distinguished faculty drawn from across the University,” according to .

Julianne Malveaux, an economist, author, and commissioner at the National African American Reparations Commission, said that several universities benefited from their relationship with enslavement.

The commission is committed to reparatory justice and compensating African-American communities that were ravaged by crimes that were perpetrated during slavery.

“I think it is extraordinarily urgent for folks to come to grips with the past,” said Malveaux. “That means acknowledging their role in enslavement, acknowledging their role in discrimination and acknowledging their role in embracing white supremacy.”

“The Society of Jesus has already put in $15 million to the Descendants Truth and Reconciliation Foundation,” said Richard Cellini, founder of the Georgetown Memory Project. “So there’s really a total of $42 million.”

The Georgetown Memory Project is an independent genealogical research effort that strives to identify the enslaved who were sold by the Jesuits.

The project has identified 241 people of the 272 who were enslaved and sold in 1838, according to Cellini. The project located and traced more than 10,000 direct descendants, about 6,000 of whom are alive today.

is an association that was founded by the descendants of GU272 and is committed “to preserving the memory, commemorating the lives and restoring the honor of the 272 enslaved people sold by the Jesuits.”

“They were sold for about $426.50 each and collectively it totaled $115,000, which today is the equivalent of $3 million,” said Cellini.

“It is good that there are descendants who are involved with building this relationship between the Society of Jesus and the descendants’ families,” said Mélisande Short-Colomb, a research and community engagement associate at the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University.

Colomb is a descendant of two families enslaved and sold by the Jesuits in 1838.

Colombe emphasized that universities in the U.S in the late 1800’s “greatly benefited from the American system of enslavement and human trafficking.”

“Men create laws and policies, to disenfranchise people, to enslave people, and to support systems of suppression, oppression, and disenfranchisement,” said Colombe. “That comes out of the American education system.”

However, funds like these have received some criticism for how they help descendants.

Cellini argued that scholarships are a form of elite capture. The phenomenon can be defined as “a way socially advantaged people tend to gain control over financial benefits meant for everyone,” according to the Boston Review.

��“It’s nothing particular to Georgetown and the Jesuits; it happens almost everywhere,” Cellini said. “But certainly Georgetown and the Jesuits did nothing to try to avoid the problem of elite capture.”

“Scholarships aren’t reparations,” Cellini said. “What we would favor is direct payments.”��

Malveaux said that reparations are about repair and not only about a check.

“I applaud the action that this committee is taking, quite frankly, that is not enough but it’s a step in the right direction,” said Malveaux.

Malveaux said that universities in D.C that have benefited from slavery should support legislation like H.R 40.

H.R 40 is a pending legislation that Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan, introduced every year from 1989 till he passed away in 2019.��

The aims to “examine slavery and discrimination in the colonies of The United States from 1619 to the present and recommend appropriate remedies.” In the latest session of Congress, a version of the bill was introduced by Rep, Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas.

“If Georgetown and other universities are clear about their role in enslavement, they would enthusiastically support H.R 40,” said Malveaux.

In 2022, the university also established the Reconciliation Fund, which is a $400,000 fund to support descendants of the enslaved. The fund supports community-based projects such as health and legal clinics and advocates for projects in environmental justice and local history, according to . A new application cycle opened in Oct. 2023.��

“The impact of slavery is generational, and it’s difficult to quantify these harms,” said Vasudha Jalan, a graduate student of public policy at Georgetown University. “But hopefully along with this sum and the long-term plan, Georgetown will continue to make progress.”

Jalan drew parallels to her time being an undergraduate student at the University of British Columbia.

“For example at UBC, my undergraduate school, I think there were mandatory videos students had to watch about First Nations given that the school sits on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) First Nation,” said Jalan. “That really raised awareness about the issue to international students like me.”

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House members have fewer than 10 legislative days left to vote on the proposed aid, which includes $75.7 billion for Israel and Ukraine alone. ��

Americans on both sides consistently support aid to Ukraine, with 50% of Republicans and 75% of Democrats backing the funding, according to the .��

However, Americans remain divided on aid to Israel, with 26% of those surveyed saying the U.S. is not doing enough to support, and 20% saying the U.S. is doing too much.

Democratic and Republican members say they are seeking conditions for the aid packages for both war-torn countries.����

Some Republican lawmakers clarified they will not support $61.4 billion in aid to Ukraine unless they receive border security measures to tackle the migrant crisis at the U.S – Mexico border.��

Meanwhile, some Democratic lawmakers want the Israeli Defense Forces to comply with international law to minimize civilian casualties and pull back from Gaza in return for $14.3 billion in aid.��

Jordan Tama, an American University professor and U.S. politics and foreign policy scholar, said it’s likely that conditions will be placed on aid for both, since lawmakers are seeking limitations.��

“One way to forge a compromise that makes those members of Congress feel like we’re not just giving a blank check is to include some kinds of conditions or monitoring,” Tama said.��

Republican members like Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-New York, said they refuse to consider additional Ukraine funding unless the Biden administration allocates more emergency funding for U.S. border security.��

“I will not consider voting for any of the Ukraine money until we see some border security out of the administration,” he said. “The administration can’t prioritize Ukraine over our own southern border and the invasion of our own nation.”����

Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, said bipartisan bills need to get on the floor immediately.��

“The House leadership has to get very serious about what matters most,” said Landsman. “Staying in power, or meeting the needs of the American people, and passing a budget that maintains critical investments in the American people, in our economy, and making sure that we are there for folks abroad.”��

The foreign aid debate comes as the federal funding deadline looms and the Biden administration pushes for congressional support.��

“We have 53 days, or 52 days, maybe before the next funding deadline,” Langworthy said Wednesday. “We have to continue on in our work and we have five more appropriations bills to finish up. We need to see an agreement on a top-line spending number between the Senate and the House.”��

There is tension in both parties over two different pieces of the proposed foreign aid package, Tama said. Republicans are torn about Ukrainian aid and Democrats are split and actively debating aid to Israel.��

��“Overall, this is a package that is likely to have something for everybody, but also generate a variety of concerns among different parts of the Democratic and Republican caucuses on Capitol Hill, and so a kind of compromise or package that attracts sufficient majorities to get through Congress,” Tama said. “I think it’s possible, but it’s challenging.”��

House members express hesitation on the timeline for major decisions as the end of the year quickly approaches. Representatives seem unresolved as to how the proposed package will impact the budget as members tack on requirements for approval.��

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, said the aid package debate could push back budget talks but he does “not know the answer to that.”��

Raskin also said “I don’t know,” about adding certain conditions to the foreign aid packages. He did not specify any conditions.����

“The people of Ukraine need help defending themselves against [Vladimir] Putin’s violent onslaught, Israel needs help in their fight against Hamas,” Raskin said. “There are huge humanitarian crises taking place in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip so we need to rush aid there, so I support every part of it.”��

Raskin, along with 25 members of Congress, last week to President Biden urging “an immediate cessation of hostilities against targets with a civilian presence to facilitate the timely evacuation and protection of children and babies.”

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Students for Reproductive Justice along with Students for Change are running the campaign with the goal of increasing accessibility and affordability of emergency contraceptives on campus.

Lane Thimmesch, president of Students for Reproductive Justice, said the vending machines would enable students to discreetly dispense the contraceptives they needed at any time of the day.

Thimmesch expressed concern for the state of reproductive rights in a post-Roe v. Wade world.��

“It’s absolutely critical that any reproductive healthcare services we can have at our disposal that are accessible, affordable, serving students properly, can exist,” said Thimmesch.��“This is a nationwide crisis.”

She said the initiative aimed at pricing on-campus contraceptives like Plan B at $7-to-$10.��

“Hopefully, we’re going to really try and cut down the costs significantly so that way any student who needs it can access the reproductive health care that they need,” Thimmesch said.

Protestors were asked to wear green clothing to the march to honor other global abortion rights movements.

“Green is a color that represents a lot of the South American reproductive rights movement,” Thimmesch said.��

Kaniya Harris, director at Students for Change, said the only contraceptives on campus were available at the Student Health Center and not readily accessible to students.

The American University Student Health Center opens at 8:30 a.m. and closes at 8 p.m. The center is closed through the weekend.

“The hours at the Student Health Center aren’t feasible, especially for students that are working full-time or part-time jobs, because their limited hours don’t allow students to be there and have access to Plan B,” said Harris.��

Harris said that having contraceptives on campus would help achieve the organization’s goal of making access to contraceptives inexpensive.��

She said that, with the proposed price, contraceptive pills would be almost $40 cheaper than pills off-campus.

Protestors said having emergency contraceptive vending machines would also protect survivors of sexual assault from unwanted pregnancies. They noted that George Washington University earlier this year installed a vending machine that dispenses morning-after pills.��

Paige Ammann, the director of communications at AU Reproductive Justice, said that the Student Health Center and pharmacies like Walgreens “are not always accessible.”

“We don’t have any place to go for 24-hour care,” Ammann said. “Accessibility for Plan B and other emergency contraceptives is more vital now than ever.”

Sia Patel, an advocate for survivor rights on campus, said the initiative is a “shared community resource.”

“What’s great about the work we do for survivors and for the emergency contraceptives is that it’s for every student and faculty on this campus,” said Patel. “If you’re a grad student, if you’re faculty or staff, this is for you, too.”

The post AU students march for greater access to emergency contraceptives on campus first appeared on 91����.

Crime rose in the neighborhood by 27% so far this year, shooting up to 762 instances this year, up from 598 over the same period in 2022, according to the Metropolitan Police Department’s website.

The 27% uptick in crime in Georgetown was due to robbery, theft, and motor vehicle theft, according to MPD data.

The Citizens Association of Georgetown, among others, testified before the D.C Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety Nov. 8 to support legislation proposed by Councilwoman Brooke Pinto, the ‘’ (ACTIVE) Amendment Act of 2023.��

Pinto’s bill would require individuals on probation, supervised release, or parole after a gun offense conviction to submit to a search when they are in a public place. In addition, it would create a task force to develop recommendations for increasing the use of pre-arrest diversion and would increase the maximum penalty for those firing a large number of bullets at a time.��

Pinto’s bill would require that sentences for possession of extremely dangerous weapons be stacked on top of baseline penalties and create a new offense of unlawful discarding of firearms and ammunition. The measure would amend the definition of carjacking to include situations where the victim is not in or immediately next to their vehicle.��

“My comprehensive package of legislative initiatives is a compilation of common-sense, targeted interventions that will urgently and practically improve safety for DC residents,” Pinto said in a press release.

“The legislation fundamentally cracks down on people who have firearm offenses and adjust the maximum penalties for engagement with a firearm,” said Mark Martinkov, the Citizens Association of Georgetown public safety co-chair.

However, Ryan Downer, legal director for the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, opposes the bill, telling the committee on Nov. 7�� that the increase in incarceration likely to stem from the bill would expose more D.C. citizens to “D.C. jails’ unsafe conditions.”

“The retrograde solutions proposed in this legislation are ineffective and will result in further harm to the district’s black and brown communities,” Downer testified.

He emphasized that the District “cannot incarcerate its way out of this crisis.”

Pinto said that the committee was focused on the plight of D.C. jail through “oversight and additional pieces of legislation” that are a part of the larger Secure D.C. agenda.��

The Secure D.C. Plan is a package of bills and initiatives aimed at increasing accountability with an emphasis on violent crimes and gun offenses, according to a press release from Pinto’s office.

“The council members don’t necessarily have a view into what’s going on in each and every neighborhood,” said Martinkov. “These hearings are a critical component of how a democracy operates in having an opportunity for people to come and discuss the things that they’re seeing.”

“The more citizens and business groups, in both residential and business communities, communicate with their elected representatives on the seriousness of their concerns, the better it is for everybody,” said Joe Sternlieb, CEO of the Georgetown Business Improvement District.��

The Georgetown Business Improvement District has been actively advocating for police coverage in the neighborhood and hopes to apply for grants for an initiative that could bring private security networks together.

Crime in the city rose by 27% this year and shot up from 31,239 instances to date compared to 24,553 over the same period in 2022, MPD data said. Theft contributed greatly to the overall spike, according to MPD.

“Statistically Georgetown is still the safest neighborhood in the city,” said Sternlieb. “But unless everybody feels safe all the time, then it’s not as safe as it needs to be.”

Martinkov emphasized the need for more police presence in the neighborhood.��

The number of police officers in the city has fallen from 4,000 sworn police officers to approximately 3,300 since 2020, according to a release from Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office.

On April 4th, 2022, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a $30 million investment to help the city get back on the track to 4,000 police officers.��

“We can educate people, we can set up cameras, but if you really want to stop crime, you just have to have more police presence,” said Martinkov.

Martinkov said that there were up to six police officers stationed in Georgetown at any given point in 2020.

“Because of the staffing shortage, they’ve had to relocate officers to those areas where there’s the most amount of crime,” said Martinkov. “So we’re now stuck with one or two, and oftentimes just one officer in all of Georgetown.”

The Citizens’ Association of Georgetown collaborates with the MPD to create programs and initiatives that facilitate the education of residents about public safety.��

“There’s a new effort for MPD where they have QR codes that police officers can scan when they’re meeting with businesses,” said Martinkov.

“Our relationship with MPD has always been really positive in Georgetown,” said Daniel Chao, a commissioner with Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E. “I am very grateful that we have the type of bond and the support on both sides, from community to law enforcement and vice versa.”

Chao said that the commission plans to work with the District Council and MPD to make sure funds are provided to properly execute the Secure D.C. Plan. The ANC plans on speaking with local and federal entities that could help facilitate better infrastructures for policing.

“We are very eager to partner with more law enforcement, and introduce them to our neighbors to make our communities safer,” said Chao.

He said the Secure D.C. Plan was not only for enforcement but also about building a “robust rehabilitation component.”

“We all believe that everyone has the right to succeed and if they want to change for the better, we all are there for them to help people find a track to better their lives,” Chao said.��

Chao said that the Secure D.C. recognizes the need for rehabilitation and the ANC supports Pinto’s initiative in doing so.

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This is a result of preservation efforts undertaken by the Black Georgetown Foundation, formerly known as the Mount Zion-Female Union Band Society Historic Park Foundation, which manages the preservation and commemoration of the burial ground.��

The foundation’s primary aim is to memorialize the grounds because of its historic significance: a burial ground for people who were born and died enslaved. It houses a cemetery vault that may have served as a station on the Underground Railroad.

The group’s most recent event was held Oct. 21, ��an afternoon dedicated to preservation and restoration activities at the cemetaries.

Lawana Holland-Moore, the director of fellowships and interpretive strategies for the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund at the National Trust of Historic Preservation, said that many sites related to African-American history have often been obscured or omitted.��

“Mount Zion, for instance, is one of the last remnants of black Georgetown,” Holland-Moore said.

In February, on the 215th anniversary of the founding of the burial grounds, the D.C. Council passed a to commemorate the cemeteries.

“The community often knows about it, as these places are important to them, but it becomes a matter of bringing visibility to that site in a way that others know about that importance too,” said Holland-Moore.

“We’re a UNESCO site, a site of memory for the slave trade and the Underground Railroad,” said Patrick Tisdale, a volunteer at Black Georgetown Foundation who has been working for four years to transform the African American burial ground into a memorial.

Tisdale said it is important not just to promote the cemetery as a piece of history but to establish its identity.��

At the Oct. 21 event, volunteers helped clean up debris, weed areas around headstones, clear out leaves, branches and soil from the roof of the cemetery vault, top fresh soil, spread grass seeds, and sand and paint salvaged iron posts for demarcations.

Holland-Moore said that as neighborhoods change, community histories become lost.

“You might have people who are brand new to the city, as is often the case in D.C., who have no idea about the history of who once was in that community,” said Holland-Moore.��

“There’s a commonality that we can find in these spaces,” said Holland-Moore. “These are special places that should be protected for generations to come.”

Tisdale stood by the signage, tucked between the apartments at Q and 27th streets, talking about the cemetery.��

“There’s a greater focus and an interest in the real history of the United States now, which includes a real accounting and a whole accounting for the Black history of Georgetown, DC,” said Tisdale.

The foundation calls for monetary contributions and volunteerism through the upkeep of the property, preservation of artifacts, recording historical data, and serving as unofficial tour guides for guests.�� They also work with cemetery property surveys, maintenance of the grounds in terms of cleanliness and pruning of trees and genealogical research.

Georgetown resident Erin Zielinski started volunteering at the Congressional Cemetery, located on the West Bank of the Anacostia River on Capitol Hill. She later started volunteering at Mt. Zion where she is currently working on iron posts that would demarcate public land from the cemetery.

“The garbage trucks would back into the grounds on graves and get stuck,” said Zielinski about the iron posts. “Imagine that, people are buried there, and so we put up posts to protect.”

Zielinski said it was important to honor Black history the way the city worked to restore other aspects of American history.

“These were all people too,” Zielinkski said. “We may not have known them, but they matter to someone.”����

In 2021, the National Park Service wanted to in Rock Creek Park. The NPS is obligated by law to inform adjoining property owners of the project.��

“They were using maps and documents that they had and they referred to Mount Zion as�� ‘colored cemeteries’ with no contact details and no address,” said Tisdale.

Lisa Fager, the executive director of Black Georgetown Foundation, said in a statement that she intervened and issued a stop work order that cordoned off the area.��

“We had to put an injunction down for six months until they got an archaeologist to come to scan the grounds and then archaeologists worked with them once they took the dirt off inch by inch,” said Tisdale.

NPS did not respond to a comment on this story.

The foundation hosts regular events where volunteers are welcome to participate in preservation and restoration activities. The foundation also hosts a series of workshops, tours and other recreational projects that teach volunteers about restoration and repair work for delicate historical artifacts.

The post The Black Georgetown Foundation works to protect Georgetown’s African American cemeteries first appeared on 91����.

A new station would address “longstanding transportation challenges for Georgetown,” eight commissioners said in a letter to Metro dated Sept. 21. The ANC sent the letter in response to WMATA’s call for public comment on its expansion proposals.��

ANC 2E’s representative in this matter, Commissioner Topher Matthews, said that while the materialization of the plan was far-off, a Metrorail station would be huge for Georgetown.

“It’s likely that if WMATA does have the money for the expansion and does continue to see the need for it as a matter of capacity for the whole system, it will result in a Georgetown station,” Matthews told 91����.

While bringing Metro in Georgetown would be beneficial, its construction potentially could impact some of the historic buildings in the neighborhood, according to Zachary Schrag, a professor of US history at George Mason University ��and author of “The Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro.”

“My guess is that everyone is assuming that the engineers will take whatever steps are necessary to preserve the historic structure of Georgetown,” said Schrag. “I’m not sure if they know how difficult that will be.”

Schrag said that the main reason for getting extra metro stations was to relieve the current congestion on the tunnel between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom.��

“Once you were doing that, then it may make sense to build one or possibly two stations in Georgetown, on the way,” said Schrag.

Georgetown was established in 1751.�� Its significance was formally acknowledged when Congress enacted the Old Georgetown Act in 1950 in order to protect its history, architecture, and other areas of interest that were of historical significance, according to the of the U.S Commission of Fine Arts.

It could take 20 to 25 years to build a station in Georgetown, according to Matthews. Georgetown’s urban landscape is constantly evolving and could lead to uncertainty with regard to engineering, Matthews said.

“The letter that we signed could mean something and hopefully,�� you can even say we’re all in favor but we can’t just write a $8 billion check, which is where the difficulty arises,” said Matthews.��“If I could wave a wand and have it open tomorrow, it would be huge, it would be great.”

Sneha Puri, a public policy student at Georgetown University, struggles with transit issues even within the neighborhood.��

Georgetown University students have labeled the neighborhood as a ‘transit desert’ owing to its lack of transportation options, according to the University’s student newspaper, .

“There is a lack of transit in Georgetown, especially when it comes to Metro access because the closest Metro Station is about a 30-minute walk or one bus ride away and even the buses that we have in the area are very unpredictable in terms of the timings,” said Puri.

Puri says that while she could take a direct bus to downtown D.C. from her residence in Georgetown, she struggles with getting to the university, which is also in Georgetown.

WMATA proposed in its for 2013-2025, that they could finish work for the additional line in 2025. However, it is unclear where they stand in the process.

Metro didn’t respond to a request for comment for this story.

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The Museum of Failure, which is open until Nov. 5,�� illustrates various market failures with the theme that “failure is the mother of success,” according to the museum’s .

��“We don’t talk about failure,” said Samuel West, founder and curator of the Museum of Failure.��

“Anybody who has had any success in any area of life knows that there are considerable failed attempts and the not-so-glamorous story is also part of reality,” said West. “I think we don’t talk about that enough.”

Since its inception in Sweden in 2017, the museum has been a traveling exhibit showcasing failed products and services from around the world. These flops have paved the way for innovations that are now household names.

From failed 2001 versions of Segways to the popular ‘hula chair’ that rocked in a way equivalent to an abs workout, the space explores projects that laid the foundation for better versions of products that are now consumed universally.

Coca-Cola’s New Coke was one such product that lasted for roughly 10 years before being taken off the shelf due to extra sweetening that didn’t appeal to consumers, according to the Coca-Cola Company website. A glimpse of the New Coke before now stands in a glass showcase for museum visitors.

West, a clinical psychologist with a Ph.D. in organizational psychology who was inspired by the in Croatia, aimed to bring discussions around failure in innovations to museum visitors.

The section on Donald Trump’s various failed business products stood out to attendee, Kira Pomeranz.��

“It reminded me that despite my past shortcomings, as long as I keep putting myself out there in different ways, I will see success and growth for myself as long as I keep trying,” Pomeranz said.

A Wall of Failure encourages museum visitors to write their failures on sticky notes for public display.��

“It provides an opportunity for people and guests to share a moment or several moments that are their own failures in life,” said Parsa Afsharjavan, a visual artist and creative director based out of D.C and Miami who is a museum ambassador for the pop-up.

“The wall shows that everyone is subject to failure, is failing or has failed at something whether currently or recently or is about to fail.”

Pomeranz felt a deep moment of introspection after sticking her note on the wall.

“When you physically walk away after putting that sticky note on the wall and zoom out and see that your failure is one small note in a sea of others, it brings a sense of camaraderie,” said Pomeranz. “I am one of many people who has failed at many things.”

The pop-up traveled throughout the United States, appearing in Los Angeles, Brooklyn, and Minneapolis. Internationally, it appeared in Jeddah and Seoul as well as several cities in Europe, including Vienna, Lille, Paris, Milan, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Hanover, and Stockholm.��

Situated in Georgetown Park, between M Street, NW, and the C&O Canal, the museum opened on Sept. 7 and will stay open until Nov. 5 from Wednesdays through Sundays. Ticket prices stand at $25 for adults and $20 for children over the age of 7.

The Museum of Failure’s next pop-up exhibit is expected to open in London in February 2024.��

The post Georgetown’s Museum of Failure: A success story first appeared on 91����.

The Democratic Socialist Association, D.C., staged the canvassing event, using it to assert that many landlords in the District violate the implied warranty of habitability in residential lease agreements.

The implied warranty of habitability ensures the safety and sanitation of housing units from the first day of tenancy, according to the . This includes keeping properties free of pests and ensuring good infrastructure as well as adequate light and ventilation.��

There are approximately 40,000 units in the city that meet some criteria for being less than habitable in terms of causing health conditions, according to a 2022 study by D.C Primary Care Association.

David Poms, an organizer with the Democratic Socialist Association, aided in the development of the study. “That’s like 10-12% of units that are inhabitable,” Poms told 91����.

Olivier Frei, a former Georgetown resident, experienced this problem when he interned with the Swiss Embassy in 2021. Frei said he had a ceiling tile fall down on him during a thunderstorm a few nights after he arrived in D.C.��

“I wake up all of a sudden feeling something on my feet on my bed,” Frei told 91����. “The landlady accused my other roommate for not having closed the windows in her room and she says thamust have let in the water for the ceiling to break.”

The landlady then proceeded to withhold Frei’s roommate’s entire security deposit with no investigation into the cause and the effect of the breakage of the ceiling, Frei said.��

“We were more worried and upset about the costs and how they were shared without much evidence provided,” he said.��

D.C. laws protect security deposits.

“D.C. has very specific laws when it comes to deducting from security deposits so there’s a specific timeline where the landlord has to do an inspection and inform the tenant whether anything will be deducted from the deposit,” Nicole McEntee, a program analyst of education and outreach with the D.C. Tenants’ Advocate, told 91����.��

The landlord has to provide receipts, photographs and any evidence they can show and, if they don’t comply with the law, the tenant can take help from the Office of the Tenant Advocate, D.C., according to McEntee.

McEntee said that there are a lot of cases in D.C. where the landlord either doesn’t understand the law or neglects the law.��

“That’s where the office is here to help tenants when they find themselves in situations like these where they don’t know what to do,” McEntee said.

The living conditions clause is meant to keep tenants in habitable properties, according to the Legal Information Institute. Poms said that he feels strongly about people not knowing how to push their rights in a tenant situation.��

“There is a power imbalance, even in D.C., where we have a lot of tenant rights, landlord-tenant courts and laws that imply the warranty of habitability,” he said.

“That was my 3rd day in the country and I didn’t even know that legal help for tenants even existed,” said Frei. The same incident happened a few months later.��

“We probably should’ve handled the situation better,” Frei said.

Poms pointed towards the Stomp out Slumlords, a signature tenants rights campaign in 2018 organized by the DSA. Stomp out Slumlords has been instrumental in organizing numerous rent strikes all over the city, Poms said.��

“It started with finding people who were listed in the landlord-tenant court for eviction and knocking on their door asking if they knew that they had options to get out of this situation,” Poms said.��

Organizations pooling efforts to organize tenants.

Several local organizations like the , and Georgetown University’s have pooled efforts to organize rent strikes in neighborhoods like Georgetown, Columbia Heights and Brightwood Park.��

The D.C. Healthy Housing Collaborative wrote an advocacy letter to the Council of the District of Columbia earlier last year addressing the “substandard housing conditions that contribute to significant health issues affecting District of Columbia residents.” 91���� obtained a copy of the letter.

The letter highlighted the significant presence of rodents in residential complexes. “However, coordination between this program and other abatement and inspection programs is important in order to ensure that abatement is effective,” the letter states.��

The next social housing and advocacy for livable conditions canvassing by the D.S.A is scheduled for Sept. 21. As per the Metro DC DSA website, this organization effort is to “facilitate collective action in support of the passage and implementation of the Green New Deal for Housing Amendment Act.”

The staff at Brooke Pinto’s office and members of ANC 2E declined to comment on this story.

The post Housing advocates canvass on behalf of tenant rights in D.C. first appeared on 91����.