Every year, the Washington Peace Center honors the hard work and success of several outstanding activists in Washington, DC. This year, on Thursday, December 11th at 6:30 pm, the Activist Awards Grassroots Gala will not only celebrate local activists, they will throw a 10th anniversary party for the entire community!
Bread for the City’s Community Organizer Aja Taylor, will be honored at this year’s award for her work on the Fair Criminal Records Screening Act of 2014, commonly referred to as “Ban the Box” legislation. 
On July 14, 2014, the DC City Council passed the strongest legislation against hiring discrimination and wage theft in the country. Both the Wage Theft Prevention and Fair Criminal Records Screening Act (Ban the Box) passed with a final vote of 13-0.
This was a tireless fight that could not have been won without effective coalition work, engagement of returning citizens at each step of the process, and effectively engaging our communities to act. Because of the collective work, persons with criminal or arrest records will not have to check a box on an application that identifies them as someone with a record. Employers will have to wait until after a conditional offer has been made to look into someone’s criminal history, which will allow them to make a final hiring decision based more so on merits than on preconceived notions of what it means for someone to be a returning citizen.
“I am of course thrilled to have been nominated and selected as one of this year’s awardees but the only reason this was successful was because it was a collaborative effort,” says Aja. “If it weren’t for incredible client leaders, fellow organizers at the Employment Justice Center, amazing partners like the DC Jobs Council, Re-entry Network for Returning Citizens, the Employment Justice Center, Public Defender Service, Sasha Bruce YouthWork, and Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, we would not have the strong bill that we have.”
All of us at Bread for the City are proud of Aja and join The Washington Peace Center in inviting you to “dust off your tutu and party shoes” and come celebrate the work of Aja and the other activists being recognized on Thursday. You’re in for great performances, free soul food from Woodlands Vegan Bistro, a cash bar, fun dancing, kid-friendly activities, awesome silent auction baskets and more! Pull out your 80’s tux, prettiest cocktail dress or favorite pair of jeans, because this is a Grassroots Gala.
Tickets are still available for purchase here!
The awards ceremony will take place at 6:30 pm on December 11th at St Stephen’s Church at 1525 Newton St NW, Washington, DC 20010.
Please join us as we celebrate Aja, her work and the work of all the other deserving awardees!