Panel Archives - HumanitiesDC

Creating While Black

Join Zuri Productions for the free world premiere of Creating While Black:Washington, DC, a powerful documentary celebrating the artists, storytellers, and cultural visionaries who have shaped the legacy of Chocolate City. Featuring acclaimed voices including Jason Reynolds, Marjuan Canady, and Chela Mitchell, the documentary takes audiences inside DC’s vibrant Black creative community, exploring the impact of gentrification, cultural preservation, and the importance of protecting the stories and traditions that define the city.

Be among the first to experience this compelling documentary, followed by a special conversation with the filmmakers and featured creatives. Hear the stories behind the film, connect with DC’s artistic community, and explore the past, present, and future of Black creativity in the nation’s capital.

Don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate the voices, creativity, and cultural contributions that make DC extraordinary. Reserve your free seat and be part of the conversation!

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Presented in partnership with HumanitiesDC and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.

Panel Discussion: Your City Your Story (Double Exposure Film Festival)

What happens when a community stops waiting on institutions and does accountability’s work itself? In Los Angeles, the gay community banded together to investigate a cold case murder and push it toward resolution — the subject of Rachel Mason’s new film My Brother’s Killer. It’s happening nationwide as legacy news organizations scale back and new local news outlets emerge: Chicago-based City Bureau trains community members to cover public meetings; Outlier Media in Detroit involved citizens in connecting residents to money the county owed them after selling their homes at auction. Other news platforms train citizens in filing FOIA requests, with OpenAI even providing a generator to automate the process. This session is about building a record where none exists — tools for everyone, and the networks to use them safely.

Featuring Lois Nembhard, George Kevin Jordan, Rachel Mason, Sonam Vashi, and Noah Kincade.

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FOODISH Story Circle

Join CJM and FOODISH in the sukkah to share family recipes, culinary memories, and personal stories connected to Jewish holidays and traditions. Led by local chef and culinary historian Vered Guttman, participants can contribute their own stories while discovering connections across Jewish communities and generations.

Presented in partnership with FOODISH, the Jewish food initiative of ANU – Museum of the Jewish People.

ABOUT VERED GUTTMAN Vered Guttman is an Israeli-American chef and food writer. Her work has appeared in Haaretz, The Washington Post and among others. She currently works with Foodish, the culinary wing of ANU. In 2014, she cooked for President Obama’s Passover Seder. Vered is also active in Jewish organizations promoting democracy, peace, and coexistence.

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The Promise and Perils of Public Art: Ben Shahn’s Murals on Social Security

Join Professor Laura Katzman as she discusses the public art of Ben Shahn (1898-1969), focusing on his most prominent New Deal fresco murals, The Meaning of Social Security, which were commissioned by the Public Works Agency’s Section of Fine Arts (1940-1942) for the Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building in Washington.

Dr. Katzman will address how Shahn navigated the demands of federal agencies, the needs of his own art/activism, and the larger goals of his social criticism. The program will illuminate the status of Shahn’s murals in the context of the current administration?s controversial efforts to sell specific government buildings and its drastic staff cuts to the General Services Administration––the official steward of federally funded art in government buildings across the United States.

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Forging a More Perfect Union: American Jews and Democracy with Professor Lauren Strauss

Journey through the history of American Jewish political activism in the 20th and 21st centuries. In this 250th year since American independence, Professor Lauren Strauss goes beyond theoretical discussions about the nation’s founding to focus on the many ways that Jewish Americans have engaged politically. From the streets to the courts to Capitol Hill, Jews in the U.S.––especially in Washington, DC––have helped to redefine what it means to live in a democracy. An ASL Interpreter will be present.

Presented in partnership with Moment Magazine.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Lauren Strauss teaches Jewish history and literature at American University in Washington, DC, and is Director of Undergraduate Studies for AU’s Jewish Studies Program.

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Theater and Policy Salon: Friends Don’t Fake Out Friends in DC

A Theater and Policy Salon play reading and panel discussion in partnership with the NYU Brademas Center. Join a timely conversation about the scariest AI deep fake challenges faced by vulnerable communities in DC and globally, anchored by a reading of D.C. playwright Ben Hatt’s new play, “Imposed.”

This Theater and Policy Salon event, in partnership with the New York University Brademas Center and NYU’s DC campus combines a true to life drama about two young women victimized by deep fake revenge porn with an expert conversation on policy fixes and individual action. The panel will include CUA Prof. Mary Graw, GWU Prof Alexa Alice Joubin, playwright Ben Hatt, and Becca Branum, Deputy Director of the Center for Democracy and Technology’s Free Expression Project.

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DC[FRAMEWORKS] – A Work-in-Progress Screening Series

We’re delighted to invite you to the 2026 Spring edition of DC[FRAMEWORKS] Works-in-Progress Screening, a community event celebrating documentary storytelling in progress.

DC[FRAMEWORKS] provides directors and producers at all experience levels with a unique opportunity to receive constructive, peer-level feedback on their rough-cut films—whether feature-length or short. Each screening is followed by a moderated discussion, where filmmakers gain valuable insights from an engaged audience, subject-matter experts, and experienced DC-based filmmakers.

Register here

Interested in submitting your film?
If you’re a DC-based filmmaker with a work in progress and are interested in having your project considered for the Works-in-Progress Screening, you can apply via this form, and email info@dcdoxfest.com if you have any questions.

Submit a Work-in-Progress by April 27

Breaking News: Writing the Future of Journalism in DC

A celebration and discussion of local and community journalism. In partnership with the American Press Institute.

Be part of the conversation! Join us to celebrate our fourth cohort of Community Journalism Program graduates, and for an engaging panel discussion on how journalism in DC is evolving and adapting to meet the moment. Our panelists will explore how journalism in DC is responding to the changes in the media landscape.

Register here.

The panelists are:

Abigail Higgins,The 51st
Mike Schaffer, City Cast DC
Harry Jaffe, SpotlightDC

The panel will be moderated by Kayla Hewitt, WAMU

About the Community Journalism Program:

HumanitiesDC’s Community Journalism Program is a 14-week training for DC residents led by a team of professional local journalists. This free program is designed to equip participants with the knowledge, skills, and mentorship to tell the stories that matter most to them and their communities. The journalist team teaching and supporting the participants includes:

Martin Austermuhle
jonetta rose barras
Delonte Harrod
George Kevin Jordan
Julie Strupp

To learn more about HumanitiesDC’s Community Journalism Program, visit our website.

Culture Series: Comedy Across the River

In this special Culture Series, we ask who gets to laugh together, and what is lost when communities east of the Anacostia are left out?

HumanitiesDCPresents Culture Series: Comedy Across the River explores the stand-up scene east of the Anacostia and the lack of performance spaces in Wards 7 and 8. Comedians have long brought people together through laughter while making difficult conversations more accessible. But what happens when the artists behind those voices are left without places to develop their craft?

Inspired by C. Darren Thompson’s AFRO article, “Comedy East of the Anacostia Is No Laughing Matter,” the program features three performers sharing their experiences growing up in a city with a deep comedic history, while lacking access to venues to watch, learn, and perform comedy.

The evening will begin with stand-up performances from our featured comedians, followed by a panel discussion centered on the bold question: Who gets to laugh together, and what is lost when communities east of the Anacostia are left out?

If you’ve ever wondered who gets to be heard in the city, join us as we open the conversation right here in Anacostia!

Register here.

More About the Curator: Clyde Darren Thompson is a Navy Veteran, eighth-generation Washingtonian, stand-up, sketch, and improv comedian, and community busy body. He teaches improv comedy for the Armed Services Arts Partnership, serves as a Board Member for Washington Improv Theater, and is the Founder of the East River Dog Park Group. He most often performs improv comedy with his troupe, Baggage Claim, and sketch comedy with his team, The RENS. He is a proud alumnus of Prince George’s Community College, The University of Maryland at College Park, Loyola University of New Orleans College of Law, and The George Washington University School of Business.