Organizing

Because the current capitalist economy does not meet the needs of our communities, BCI engages in community organizing, advocacy campaigns, and mutual aid to build and protect worker power in the DC region, with the goal of creating policies that support the emergence of a regional solidarity economy.

The Campaign to Decriminalize Street Vending in DC

Street vending has long been a pathway to economic independence for poor and working class workers, but for decades DC street vendors suffered discriminatory barriers to obtaining vending licenses, as well as harassment and violence from the police. BCI, in partnership with a diverse group of more than 50 vendors, ran a successful campaign to decriminalize street vending and remove regulatory barriers to accessing vending licenses.

In April 2023, after years of organizing, the Street Vendor Advancement Amendment Act of 2023 passed unanimously in the DC Council, decriminalizing street vending and creating a blueprint for regulatory transformation and city investments in street vending. To learn more about the successful campaign and the history of street vending in DC, check out our reports.

The Excluded Worker Campaign 

In 2020, workers excluded from COVID-19 federal stimulus funds, including undocumented workers, people married to undocumented immigrants, and workers in the informal cash economy such as street vending, along with citizen worker-owners who were denied employment insurance and pandemic unemployment assistance because many were not classified as employees, organized the Excluded Worker Campaign. BCI signed on as one of the lead organizers of the campaign, which secured more than $61 million for workers. In Spring 2023, DC’s Mayor stole the final $21 million in assistance as part of her budgeting process. The coalition created the Stop the Swipe Campaign, which convinced the DC Council to restore the $21 million for workers.

Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid

Since Texas Governor Abbott began busing asylum seekers to DC from the border as part of a racist and cruel publicity stunt in 2022, BCI has been part of the community-wide mutual aid response that has supported more than 1,500 migrants who have chosen to make the DC area their home. BCI organizers have met buses, coordinated with local churches to provide respite centers, fundraised for travel and shelter expenses, and advocated for policy changes in support of humane treatment of migrants. BCI continues to serve as a fiscal sponsor for the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network.