MEET RASHIDA
On Georgia Avenue, I led neighborhood cleanups, safety walks and community meetings. Ten years ago, I ran for and was elected to the Advisory Neighborhood Commission. I collaborated with the Department of Transportation, fellow commissioners and members of the community to advocate for traffic calming measures promoting safe streets and saving lives.
In response to resident fears about public safety and blight, I co-founded and helped lead what is now Georgia Avenue Thrive. I stood alongside members of the community supporting small businesses, filling empty store fronts, replacing graffiti with public art and murals, activating vacant spaces through block parties and movie nights. We successfully fought for a Lower Georgia Avenue Mainstreets, which has been serving our local businesses along this corridor for 10 years.
I held developers accountable and we worked together with the community to fill commercial spaces with local businesses like St Vincent and Hook Hall, and to turn an old Sunoco gas station into what is now Midlands, a thriving beer garden and neighborhood gathering spot. When elected officials listen and lead, we can deliver results, even when the most obvious tools of power lie elsewhere.
I love my adopted city so much that I stayed here and built a life grounded in public service and a thriving career.
I grew up in a working class family. My dad was a New York City subway conductor on the A train going through Harlem, a proud Transport Workers Union Local 100 member, and later the head of the family roofing business. When he was diagnosed with cancer, my mom worked three jobs to pay the family’s mortgage, my dad’s healthcare costs, and my afterschool programs. They taught me pride in serving others, how to make the dollar stretch and the value of hard work.
I learned that the challenges I faced were far from unique - many people struggle with medical bills, getting an education, and live paycheck to paycheck. I am lucky, and I do not take that for granted.
Through my parents’ hard work and belief in me, I attended and graduated from Howard University. I learned fundamental social work principles and values rooted in service, social justice, dignity, importance of human relationships, integrity and competence.
I fought for affordable housing in my neighborhood, and delivered 456 housing units with 60% of them affordable, through the Park Morton and Bruce Monroe projects. I was thrilled to stand with other elected officials in early October as we cut the ribbon to welcome residents moving into the first new building at the site.
With 25 years of experience in child and family policy, I have worked to increase the supply of high-quality child care in the District of Columbia and across the country!
Resisting the recent federal intrusion into the city is a top priority, as it must be for any elected official in the District. The President and Congress have slashed D.C.’s budget, are overturning our laws, and are occupying the city with National Guard, ICE, and other agencies, causing terror and creating real harm for so many of our residents. We need to be vocal, yes! But that isn’t enough. We have to look at our policies and services and the ways that we can ensure the safety of our immigrants and our community as a whole.
As an analyst and policy director in District government, I helped develop key government initiatives like My Child Care DC and Thrive by Five, expanding access to affordable, high-quality early childhood services in the District and promoting child development. I went on to advise states and municipalities around the country on implementing similar programs.