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We are thrilled to announce the newest member of our dedicated Advocacy and Organizing Team, Ría Thompson-Washington (they/she/elle). Ría brings a wealth of experience and a fervent commitment to justice, making them a vital addition to our small yet mighty team. Ría identifies as an anti-racist activist, Afro-Latine, and nonbinary Queer feminist.

With over two decades of experience in grassroots organizing and advocacy, Ría has been at the forefront of empowering Black and Latine communities. Their journey has seen them engage in a spectrum of movements, from the Labor movement to Occupy Wall Street and, more recently, providing invaluable legal support to various social justice movements.

In their new role as Associate Director, Ría will play a pivotal role in steering our organizing efforts providing supervision, guidance, and direction to our team. They will also spearhead political education initiatives within Bread for the City, fostering a deeper understanding of systemic issues and organizing opportunities among staff, leadership, and clients.

Additionally, one of their most critical roles will be reinvigorating and executing a city-wide campaign aimed at addressing the root causes of poverty in the District. This campaign will start with the creation and preservation of affordable housing for those at or below 30% of the Area Median Income (AMI), especially housing owned and operated by the DC Housing Authority (DCHA).

More about Ría

Ría serves on the National Lawyers Guild’s Mass Defense Steering Committee and formerly as senior co-chair of The United People of Color Caucus. In 2021, Ría was awarded Legal Worker of the Year by the Guild for training legal observers across the country during the Uprisings of 2020 that erupted after the murder of George Floyd. Hulu made a short documentary about Ría’s work as a legal support organizer and trainer.

Before joining Bread for the City, Ría worked at the Redress Movement (Digital Organizing Director), Center for Popular Democracy (Senior Manager, Voting Rights & Democracy Campaigns), Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Senior National Organizer, Voting Rights Project), and NAACP Legal Defense Fund (Paralegal/Litigation Assistant).

We are honored to welcome Ría Thompson-Washington to our team and look forward to the transformative impact they will undoubtedly bring to our advocacy efforts. Join us in celebrating their arrival and the collective strides we will take toward a more just and equitable society.