New Year, New Take Five! 🕔🖐🏾5️⃣

Happy New Year!

Welcome to the first Take Five of 2026! We hope everybody had a restful break full of joy and connection. But now, we at CARE are getting back to work. This edition of Take Five will celebrate our Open House, share our CARE DC resolutions, and share some resources for community.

Let’s get going!

Announcements

Hear About Our Open House!

We are so thankful for our community members who were able to attend. We had laughter, joy, and powerful conversations about the future of education in the District. If you weren’t able to make it, here’s a recap:

During our virtual Open House, we talked about challenges our students face, the joy of the holiday season, and how we plan to bring justice into 2026. Click here to view the slide deck.

Our community members had insightful commentary bringing new light to our conversations.

Q: What were some challenges to public education in 2025?

“Poor mental health resources stop children from learning well, especially since they are being exposed to many stressful and distracting things.” ~ Brookland Community Member

“The effects of the pandemic are still very much a part of young people’s lives, affecting coping skills and other parts of life.” ~ DC Community Member

“We have students fearful of coming to school because they don’t want to get involved with certain situations regarding law enforcement.” ~ Luke C. Moore Educator

Q: What will you do to bring light and fight for justice in 2026?

“I’m educating myself on the programs that are doing things for social justice change.” ~ Brookland Community Member

“I’ve been thinking about how over my lifetime, I've seen how the community has changed. We had shows of collectiveness to attack issues. Why don’t we see those same things now when there is collective struggle?” ~ Brookland Community Member

“At some point I'd like to be a spark to make this whole change to make a sure change to get things back on track.” ~ Luke C. Moore Educator

Fortunately, we were able to raise over $5,000, inspiring community members and institutions to deepen their commitment to investing in public education. We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of our Brookland community. Yet we know the work ahead remains significant.

CARE DC recognizes the deep impact of the racial wealth gap that divides our schools in Washington, DC, and shapes the outcomes of the young people we support. Schools in more affluent communities are often able to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. CARE Brookland serves five schools filled with brilliant Black and Brown students who deserve the same opportunities and resources. Our leaders are strong, our educators are exceptional, and our families are deeply deserving.

We are not focused on competing to raise the same amounts of money as affluent schools. Our focus is equality, equity, justice, and prosperity. We have the heart and the solutions. Now we need the investments to make our shared dreams a reality.

We invite you to consider making a donation and adding to the momentum that elevates our mission as a racial justice education movement in Washington, DC.

Be the Change: Learn, Build, Take Action

Twenty for CARE Campaign!

Your monthly contribution helps open the doors to a community classroom each month. As a supporter, you will receive thoughtful interviews from community members, policy insights, and access to an open digital forum where you can share your ideas for lasting change.

We invite you to consider contributing $20 or more each month. This amount reflects just $2 per school we serve and helps us advance justice in our schools and across our city. Click the button below to learn more and/or scan the QR code to make your investment.

Raise money for CARE Brookland! We proudly support five schools in the Brookland neighborhood, and the impact of community investment since launching this chapter has been incredible. And we are just getting started.

You can make a direct donation to support this chapter by using the Zelle QR code or by going to your banking app and searching for CARE Brookland under our original PNC Bank name: The Village of Brookland Traditional.

Your generosity fuels our work and strengthens our neighborhood schools. Thank you for standing with us.

Twenty for CARE

CARE Resolutions

What’s your 2026 promise?

At CARE Brookland, we have a renewed sense of joy and passion and we are sharing that direction with you. These are our resolutions for the new year.

New School Impacts

In 2026, we want to continue raising up our public schools in pursuit of our mission. We plan to:

Listen intently to our school leaders.
Share teachers’ and students’ stories with the community.
Advocate for and connect our schools with Brookland’s vast resources.

Developing Community Bonds

We vow to renew our efforts in community building. CARE Brookland is a movement by and for the people. In the new year, we will:

Hand over the vision of CARE Brookland to our amazing board of directors.
Continue supporting Black and Brown businesses in Brookland and Ward 5.
Expand partnerships and work through connections suggested by you.
Schedule chapter meetings to build collective power

Ensuring CARE in all our work

Working with our strong Brookland communtiy to support our public schools is our main mission. Yet we also work with grantmakers, council members, and organizations outside our community. We promise that in all our work, we will emphasize the values of CARE Brookland. Especially the importance of local control and our shared bonds.

Celebrate Dr. King

This year, MLK Jr. Day is January 19th, 2026. Celebrate the work of Dr. King with the community:

2026 MLK Holiday DC Annual Peace Walk & Parade - We welcome all residents of the District of Columbia and surrounding areas to take part in the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Walk and Parade.

Where: MLK Jr. Ave, SE
When: Monday, January 19th, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Register

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Remember the Dream: A Day to Celebrate Dr. King - If you are not able to join the Peace Walk, join activities throughout the National Museum for AAHC.

Where: 1400 Constitution Ave, NW
When: Monday, January 19th, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Register

Community Events

Walk Out on Fascism - Free DC is calling on everyone who is sick of this administration's attacks on DC to leave work at 2:00 PM. Meet them at Freedom Plaza to show our power and participate in a special activity together.

Where: 1325 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
When: Tuesday, January 20th, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

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Public Oversight Hearing on Teacher and Principle Retention - Register to provide testimony at this public hearing on factors that support or hinder educator retention in both the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and the District of Columbia Public Charter Schools (DCPCS).

Where: Room 412 (Track B), 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
When: Wednesday, January 21st, 3:00 p.m.
Register to Speak

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Family Food Market - Join Brookland MS for a pop-up familiy food market dedicated to supporting families in our community. Shop for a variety of fresh produce and shelf-stable items provided by Capital Area Food Bank at no cost. Open to all Brookland students.

Where: Brookland MS, Black Box
When: Thursday, January 15th, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Take Action!

We’d Love Your Feedback!
Got ideas to make the CARE Brookland Take Five newsletter even better? Whether it’s topics you’d like to see, ways to improve the format, or creative additions—we’re all ears. Share your thoughts, suggestions, or feedback here. Let’s build something great together!

Click here.

A Note to You

Thank you for joining this journey to make our schools a better, safer, more empowering place for our students. We are building in Brookland, and this letter is just the start. As we continue, join us with your time, your ideas, and your community.