-  Power and Progress 2026

August 5, 2026

Washington, DC. Last week, sixty of us packed into a room to celebrate five years of ElectED DC’s work in Ward 7 and 8. I have thought about that room every day since.

We built ElectED because we, as a community, were tired of watching decisions get made about our kids without our kids’ families in the room. Wards 7 and 8 are full of parents and voters who show up, who testify, who pay attention to what is happen in their children’s schools. What has been missing is not effort. It is access. So for five years, we have worked to remove the bottlenecks that stand between kids east of the river and a quality education. That work was never only about the students. It is about building real opportunity for the whole community, and it only happens when we partner with leaders who actually show up for East of the River kids and East of the River communities instead of just talking about them at election time. 

Power and Progress 2026 was a night to stop and look at each other and say, we did this.

We asked people to settle in, meet someone new, eat, drink, and get ready to celebrate, and that is exactly what happened. We heard from leaders and community members who are building a stronger future for students and families across Washington, DC. Then we had some fun. The room clapped loud. People leaned into the friendly Ward 7 versus Ward 8 back and forth all night.

The music still has me. Frenchie Davis sang, and if you know her voice from Broadway, you know what that did to the room. Poet Taylor emceed, and somehow made sixty people who did not all know each other feel like family by the end of the night.

We gave out three awards.

Davinia Seay received the Beacon Award, for illuminating the path toward equity and inspiring others through action and dedication. Davinia has walked parents through testifying before the Council, writing testimony, and understanding what is actually being decided about their children. Davinia is a Ward 7 mother raising a rising sixth grader. She served on her daughter’s elementary school PTO Executive Board, then chaired the advocacy committee pushing for a language immersion middle school east of the river. Last year she represented Ward 7 on Eastern High School’s LSAT and joined ElectED’s Community Activation Cohort. Davinia has given her time and her voice to our children over and over, and it was time we said so out loud.

Kim Perry received the Founder Award. Kim has led DC Action since 2019, working to make this city a place where every child grows up safe, resilient, powerful, and heard. Before that she founded DC Hunger Solutions, led DC Vote, and worked with the Clinton Foundation’s Alliance for a Healthier Generation. She started as a teacher and became one of the people this city relies on to get policy for children right. She sits on the boards of the Partnership for America’s Children and the Children’s Funding Project, and somehow still finds time to salsa dance and perfect a recipe.

Councilmember Wendell Felder received the Community Champion Award. Councilmember Felder is a fourth generation Washingtonian, born and raised in Southeast, and a graduate of DCPS. He has spent his whole career in DC government, from the Mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Services to the Deputy Mayor’s Office for Planning and Economic Development, working on behalf of the neighbors he grew up with.

I want to thank our sponsors, DC Water and Exelon, for making this night possible. And thank you to the people who built the night with us: EHS Studios behind the camera, Hunter Ventures on the music, Get Plated on the food, Poet Taylor holding the room together, Frenchie Davis for that voice, and HQO Events for the space.

Five years in, I am proud of what we have built east of the river. I am even more sure of what is still ahead. If you were not in that room, I am sorry you missed it. Save the date for next year. We will be there, and we would love for you to be there too.

Erika Harrell, Executive Director, ElectED DC