Black History Month

Friendship Place invites you to join us as we share reflections on #BlackHistoryMonth and present educational, inspiring, and resourceful information each week, both here and on our social media. We’ll share essential reading, training tools, notable leaders, and more. Follow us as we share, learn, and grow from our community throughout February and beyond.

Read about some of Washington’s most notable figures in our blog post here.

Our Anti-Racism Task Force Team created a list of books to help us unpack and understand our history. Take a look at our list here.

See our Black History Month Arts Contest winners here!

Our Work on Anti-Racism

Friendship Place launched its Anti-Racism Training Series in October 2020 to educate staff and community members about the ways in which the intentional misrepresentation of people of color influences our perception of others, our institutions, and our broader social systems. The training lays out historical examples to generate discussion about the cultural impact on modern society.

The training also looks at the ways in which one can take the “anti-racist” approach when confronted with instances of racism. 

Join our virtual community of growth and learning around social, systemic, and institutional racial inequity for our anti-racism series, and visit our YouTube Channel to see previous series.

Anti-Racism Training Series 2022

Session 1: Defining Racism

Session II (Part 1): Re-defining the Timeline and Progression of Racism and White Supremacy

Session II (Part 2): Re-defining the Timeline and Progression of Racism and White Supremacy

Session III: Understanding White Privilege

Session IV: Global Perspectives | Racism and Erasure of Traditions and Culture in the Native American Community

Session V: Anti-Asian American Hate & White Supremacy

Session VI:  Being Anti-Racist and Having an Anti-Racist Approach


Statement from Jean-Michel Giraud

These are difficult times for our community and nation. Friendship Place works every day to help the most vulnerable among us – providing people in need with housing, jobs, and essential items. We know all too well that the burdens of homelessness, unemployment, and economic disenfranchisement fall disproportionately on black lives and other people of color. We condemn systemic racism and the hatred that causes such inequity.

Friendship Place is committed to ending homelessness and systemic racism by actively fighting for racial justice through our work. We are dedicated as an organization to the realization of a society where all are valued and protected by the institutions intended to serve our nation.

We call on our neighbors and allies to join us in our peaceful work for equity.

With gratitude,

Jean-Michel Giraud, President & CEO Friendship Place

Your Donation Helps End Homelessness!

Your support for Friendship Place has a lasting impact. In 2022, our programs ended or prevented homelessness for 4,497 people, including 600 children in families and 750 veterans. We empowered 136 people experiencing or at risk of homelessness to get jobs through innovative, state-of-the-art job placement services. Friendship Place's programs collectively served a total of 3,432 people in 2020. Make a donation today in support of our work to end homelessness. Questions? Please feel free to call our fundraising office, 202.503.2970.

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