Swann Society

Community organizers today continue a strong legacy of people finding radical joy and practicing mutual aid.  By researching and celebrating stories from the past, we can find hope for today.

With Swann Society, I research and compose stories about moments in DC History where people celebrated and created systems to care for each other in oppressive circumstances.  I host parties and workshops for organizers and neighbors to learn from these historical experiences to energize our work today.

Swann Society is in honor of William Dorsey Swann who was born enslaved on the eastern shore of Maryland in the 1850s but by the 1880s, was hosting drag balls in DC.  With pride, we continue Swann's legacy.

Swann Society has been funded in part by a grant from HumanitiesDC.