Tzedek DC is proud to announce that Founding Director Ariel Levinson-Waldman has been named by the Catalogue for Philanthropy as a 2021 Community Changemaker. This award, which will be conferred at a virtual ceremony on November 18, “honors those working each day to build community in our region and to make a difference, close to home.” Ariel will participate in a panel discussion with the two other awardees, Mary Brown of Life Pieces to Masterpieces and Parisa Norouzi of Empower DC.
Panelists and additional speakers will bring attendees up to date on what is happening across the community on a range of pressing social issues and offer ways to get involved.
Ariel said, “This recognition is a testament to Tzedek DC’s mission and to my talented, dedicated teammates. I am grateful to be selected by the Catalogue for this honor, and to be in the company of such outstanding community leaders—all of us challenged as never before by the unprecedented conditions created by COVID-19. Debt collection, with its disparate impact on African American and Latino families, is particularly acute in DC. More than 35% of adults in DC’s communities of color—five times the rate for white DC residents—have a debt in collections today. Tzedek DC and a broad coalition of allies worked to establish an emergency moratorium on debt collection during the pandemic, but those protections have recently expired. We are especially grateful to have this work lifted up by the philanthropic community at the start of what is expected to be a flood of mass debt collection lawsuits and credit impairment problems threatening vulnerable community members.”
The Community Changemakers 2021 virtual event is from 6:30-7:45 pm on November 18. The event is free; information and required registration is at: www.cfpchangemakers.org
About the Catalogue for Philanthropy
Created as a project of the Harman Family Foundation in 2003, the Catalogue for Philanthropy began out of a desire to help donors find and support community-based nonprofits—those with great programming and sound finances, but little visibility and limited capacity to tell their stories to a large audience. Since 2003, the Catalogue has raised more than $45 million for its network of charities vetted by a team of over 150 local experts.
About Tzedek DC
Drawing from the Jewish teachings of “Tzedek, tzedek tirdof,” or “Justice, justice you shall pursue,” Tzedek DC’s mission is to safeguard the legal rights and financial health of District of Columbia residents with lower incomes, from all backgrounds and in all eight of DC’s wards, dealing with the often devastating consequences of abusive debt collection practices and other consumer-related issues. Tzedek DC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. Combining a small staff with the efforts of dozens of students and over 150 trained pro bono volunteers, Tzedek DC engages in community outreach work in Spanish and English, advocates for systemic reforms, and provides direct, pro bono services. Since 2017, Tzedek DC has served over 2,000 client households, saving them an average of $2,151 per full representation case—equivalent to nearly a month’s worth of pay at DC minimum wage.
