DC Appleseed honors Philip Pannell of Anacostia Coordinating Council, fellow Anacostia Park and Community Collaborative Member

DC Appleseed, a member of the Anacostia Park and Community Collaborative, was proud to celebrate its 24th year last month, with a reception and program at Arena Stage in southwest DC. At that event, DC Appleseed recognized many community leaders including Philip Pannell, Executive Director of the Anacostia Coordinating Council, also a member of APACC.

The theme for the evening was "Building Equity in D.C.," and the keynote speaker was Derek Musgrove, author of Chocolate City who offered some lessons from the history of DC for how the path to racial equity involves both a strong economy and deliberate strategies to address inequities.

A distinguished panel followed Dr. Musgrove, discussing inequalities that still exist in the city and ways to address them; the panel consisted of former Mayor Anthony Williams; former Councilmember Charlene Drew Jarvis; Professor Peter Edelman from Georgetown University; and Maria Gomez, CEO of Mary's Center.

DC Appleseed honored three community leaders who have worked with DC Appleseed to improve the city and the region: George Jones, CEO of Bread for the City; Shelley Broderick, Professor of Law and Dean Emeritus of the University of the District of Columbia School of Law; and Philip Pannell, Executive Director of the Anacostia Coordinating Council. They also announced the Ed Levin Democracy for D.C. Awards (named after Ed Levin, a founder of DC Appleseed who was a dedicated public servant and public interest lawyer, and who was an outspoken champion for DC’s right to self-governance and the vote). The recipients were Daniel Solomon and Joseph Sternlieb, Co-Founders of DC Vote.