The Humanitini program series is our signature, after-work, think and drink program that attracts and engages citizens to examine various social and contemporary issues that impact the lives of D.C. residents. This series of Humanitini programs will focus on the complex topic of gentrification.  The council has assembled some of the city’s thought leaders and newsmakers to address many of the issues related to gentrification. 

 Panelists include:

Allison Brownis President of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), the missing link between educators, students, families, and other key stakeholders.  At ABC, Ms. Brown unites stakeholders around a common purpose: to work together toward attaining excellence through equity in their schools consistent with federal legal requirements.  ABC assists communities to craft viable solutions to issues (such as academic achievement gaps, racial disparities in student discipline, lack of transparency and communication) that have been identified by community members.  Ms. Brown has been named one of the Top 40 Lawyers Under 40 by the National Bar Association and IMPACT.  Prior to launching ABC, Ms. Brown was a Trial Attorney for the United States Department of Justice in the Civil Rights Division’s Educational Opportunities Section and helped to orchestrate the Civil Rights Division’s efforts to combat the School-to-Prison Pipeline. Ms. Brown is a graduate of Howard University and Harvard Law School, where she was an articles editor for the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review.

Milan Griffinis Director of Training and Outreach for HomeFree USA. In this role, Milan develops all home buying and financial literacy curriculum for homebuyers in HomeFree-USA’s pre-purchase programs, manages a staff of 20, and coordinates all outreach activities. While at HomeFree-USA, Ms. Griffin developed a program called SOAR to teach teens how to make and multiply money.  In just 2 years, over 500 youth city-wide have learned the essence of wealth-building through this program. Prior to joining HomeFree-USA, Milan was a social studies educator, teaching middle school students in the D.C. Public School system. Milan resides in Washington, DC and is a graduate of Spelman College and earned her Master’s degree in Education from Tufts University.

Daniel del Pielagohas been living and working in the District of Columbia since 2000.  Currently Daniel works with Empower DC a grassroots organization whose focus is on developing the self advocacy power of low and moderate income residents in the District of Columbia.  Daniel works on Empower DC’s Education Campaign who’s current focus is on fighting school closures in the District.  Previous to Empower DC Daniel worked at the Latino Economic Development Corporation as a Tenant Organizer.  In his spare time Daniel likes to collect records (vinyl) and hanging out in Malcolm X Park.  

Moderated by...

Kavon Wardis a spoken word artist and President of United Speech Nation. A writer and performer of poetry since she was a teen, Kavon uses her talent to motivate various audiences, particularly children in underserved communities who she encourages to use education as a means of transforming obstacles into opportunities. Kavon recently accepted was named the 2012 Paul Robeson “Here I Stand” Poet and opened for Common as a part of the Hung Tao Choy Mei Leadership Institute annual awards ceremony. Kavon also recently served as the Lead facilitator of the Humanities Council’s youth-leadership development program, Soul of the City.

Metro: Fort Totten, Yellow, Green, and Red Lines

Bus Stop: RIGGS RD NE AND ROCK CREEK CHURCH RD