06/10/2026: *** RESCHEDULED *** MWDC Regular Monthly Meeting will be 6/30
MWDC June 2026 - Regular Monthly Meeting
Tuesday, 30 June 2026
6:00 pm est
The MLK Jr Library
The Metropolitan Women's Democratic Club (MWDC)
The Metropolitan Women's Democratic Club (MWDC) - Empowering Women, Families & Children
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Event: The Metropolitan Women’s Democratic Club (MWDC)
June Regular Monthly Meeting --&-- End of Program Year Event
Date: Tuesday, 30 June 2026
Time: 6:00 pm est to 7:30 pm est
Location:
The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20001
4th Floor – Room 401-A,
RSVP: please RSVP no later than Thursday, 25 June 2026 to info@the-mwdc.org
Closest Metro Stop:
Public Parking: City Center
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Saturday, 25 July 2026
MWDC Summer Planning Conference
August 2026
MWDC Sisters Retreat
Tuesday, 09 September 2026
MWDC Regular Monthly Meeting for the 2026-2027 Program Year
A Conversation with Cora Masters Barry
Wednesday, 13 May 2026:
The MWDC hosted a "Conversation with Cora" for our MWDC May 2026 - General Monthly Meeting. Mrs. Barry spoke about The History of Voter Registration and her New Documentary.
2026 Women in Blue - Legislative Day
On Wednesday, 22 April 2026:
Women of The MWDC joined our Sister Club under the umbrella of the District of Columbia Federation of Democratic Women (DCFDW) for our Annual
"Women in Blue" Day of Legislation.
In this picture the women of the DCFDW are joined by
The Honorable Muriel Bowser,
Mayor of the District of Columbia.
location: The John A. Wilson Building - Ceremonial Room
About The Metropolitan Women's Democratic Club (MWDC)
About MWDC ~ Our History, Mission and On-Going Legacy
The Metropolitan Women's Democratic Club (MWDC) is the oldest known African-American female political club in Washington, D.C., founded in 1960 by journalist and civil rights activist Ethel L. Payne. The club was established in response to racial segregation within labor union chapters and aimed to increase female participation in politics, especially in leadership roles. The MWDC's work focuses on legislation on behalf of women, families, and children at the local, regional, and national levels and has advocated for over 66 years. Committed to Civic Engagement at all levels.
MWDC First President: Ethel Payne
Founding and Early Years
Motivating factor: Payne, who worked for the AFL-CIO recruiting African-Americans to join the union.
Political resistance: Frustrated by the union's inaction, Payne and five other women created the MWDC as a political action group to resist the union's lobby for like-minded candidates.
First lifetime member (1973)
About The Metropolitan Women's Democratic Club (MWDC)
Smithsonian – Anacostia Community Museum
https://www.si.edu/object/membership-card-issued-ethel-l-payne:acm_1991.0076.0127
Caption
The Metropolitan Women’s Democratic Club (MWDC) issued its first lifetime membership card to “Ethel Payne” in 1973. More than a decade earlier, Payne co-founded the political action group and served as its first president (1960-1962). At that time, she worked for the AFL-CIO recruiting African Americans to join the labor union. Some of its local chapters, including Washington, DC’s, remained racially segregated, and the union president declined to intervene. In resistance to the union’s lobby for like-minded political candidates, Payne and five other women created MWDC to increase female participation in politics, especially in leadership roles. A Chicago native, Ethel L. Payne (1911-1991) moved to Washington, DC in 1952 to cover national and international news. The lifelong civil rights activist reported from thirty countries over the course of her career, becoming known as the First Lady of the Black Press.
Cite As: Ethel Lois Payne Collection, Anacostia Community Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Avis R. Johnson.
Date: 1973
November 30, 2023
New White House Lectern Named
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announces that the new lectern in the Jim Brady Briefing Room has been named in honor of Alice Dunnigan and Ethel Payne, the first two Black women reporters in the White House press corps.
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Meetings 2026 -- The Metropolitan Women's Democratic Club
Calendar
05/27/2026 (Wed): MWDC SPECIAL MEETING
06/03/2026 (Wed): MWDC Executive Board Monthly Meeting
06/04/2026 THROUGH 06/06/2026 NFDW 55th National Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada
06/10/2026 (Wed): MWDC Regular Monthly Meeting
Contact Us
The Metropolitan Women's Democratic Club (MWDC)
Post Office Box 56265, NW, Washington, DC 20040