Who is First Shift Justice Project?
First Shift Justice Project was founded by working mothers who knew the struggle firsthand—balancing a career while raising a family shouldn’t be this hard. Co-founder Laura Brown and her team are dedicated to changing workplace culture, advocating for policies that protect parents, and ensuring that no one has to choose between their job and their family.
Through legal support, advocacy, and education, First Shift Justice Project is paving the way for a future where caregivers are valued, protected, and empowered.
#FirstShiftJustice #WorkingParents #KnowYourRights #WorkplaceEquality
💜 Here's Why Your Donations Matter in DC
2024 was a milestone year for First Shift! With the strategic leadership of our newly promoted Community Health Outreach Manager, C Nickel, and the dedication of our incredible outreach team, we doubled our outreach efforts—expanding trainings, partnerships, and community impact.
Key Highlights:
✅ 58 Know Your Rights presentations (up from 27 in 2023)
✅ 19 medical trainings (up from 12 in 2023)
✅ 5,351 materials distributed (more than double from 2023!)
✅ 54% of referrals came from our outreach efforts
None of this would be possible without our growing team and the community partners who help us connect workers to the resources they need.
Read the full blog to see how our outreach efforts are making a real impact! ⬇️
/news/2024-outreach-team-highlights
Want to be a part of something great? Donate to First Shift Justice project today for our Dance Like a Mother event: /DLM2025
#DanceLikeAMother #EmpathywithanEdge #nonprofitevent #charityevent #dcevents #dcnetworking
🎉 You showed up—and showed out—at Dance Like a Mother!
Because you invited friends, donated, and spread the word, more working parents and caregivers now have the backing they need to assert their rights at work.
2025 is a pivotal year for nonprofit sustainability, and your support—whether on the dance floor or from afar—keeps our mission moving.
Thank you for standing with families and fuelling real change. 💜 #DanceLikeAMother #CaregiverRights #SupportLocalNonprofits #EmpathyWithAnEdge
🎉 ¡Ustedes se hicieron presentes—y brillaron—en Dance Like a Mother!
Gracias a que invitaron a amistades, donaron y corrieron la voz, hoy más mamás y personas cuidadoras que trabajan cuentan con el respaldo que necesitan para hacer valer sus derechos laborales.
El 2025 es un año decisivo para la sostenibilidad de las organizaciones sin fines de lucro, y su apoyo—ya sea en la pista de baile o desde lejos—mantiene nuestra misión en marcha.
¡Gracias por apoyar a las familias y alimentar un cambio real! 💜
Photos: #photosbysyb
@photosbysyb_thephotographer
Happy International Family Day! Did you know? Under the DC Parental Leave Act, working parents and guardians can take 24 hours of leave every 12 months for school-related activities.
✅ This includes parent-teacher conferences, concerts, plays and sports games.
✅ Time off can be unpaid or paid.
✅ If you know in advance, you must give 10 days prior notice.
✅ Aunts, uncles, and grandparents are also covered under this law!
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Los padres, madres y tutores que trabajan pueden tomar hasta 24 horas de licencia cada 12 meses para participar en actividades escolares.
✅ Por ejemplo: reuniones entre padres y maestros, conciertos, obras de teatro, partidos deportivos.
✅ El tiempo libre puede ser remunerado o no remunerado.
✅ Si lo sabes con antelación, debes avisar con diez días de anticipación.
✅ ¡Tíos, tías y abuelos también están cubiertos por esta ley!
🎊Great news! On Monday, Virginia became the first state in the South to provide paid leave for all workers. Workers in Virginia will now have a statewide program for paid family and medical leave + required paid sick time, as of January 1, 2029.
We are grateful to Governor Abigail Spanberger and the Virginia General Assembly for supporting working parents, caregivers and pregnant women. 👩🍼
All workers deserve to be able to care for themselves and their loved ones without risking their jobs or paychecks. We’ll be rolling out resources about Virginia’s new program and how they may impact you, so be watching our feed!
We danced, we laughed, we played. Our hearts are so full from Dance Like a Mother, where we celebrated mothers, community and fun! Thank you to everyone who joined us for a great event, and to all our sponsors and incredible DJs who made it possible. See you next year! 👟🪩
Today’s the day! Join us TONIGHT at 6 PM at Metrobar for a night of joyful celebration and resistance. This community dance party is for the moms whose strength and support keeps families going. First Shift works to help mothers and caregivers exercise their rights so they can care for the people they love, while having job security.
Check out our lineup of incredible DJs:
@dj_tmf@djblueangel@deeclark6213@lifeofmam (M$NP)
Join the fun and be part of the change:
May 8 from 6 PM-12 AM
Metrobar
640 Rhode Island Avenue NE
Paid parking available, metro accessible /dlm2026
Without our community sponsors, we would not be able to make Dance Like a Mother 2026 a reality. We’re grateful to have their incredible support behind our annual fundraiser and dance party. Please join us in recognizing their generous contributions:
EclecTek Studios
@tmf1productions@hotwmd@cyberjamz@realwomenhouse
Event Details:
May 8 from 6 PM-12 AM
Metrobar DC
640 Rhode Island Avenue NE
#dancelikeamother #empathywithanedge
Please join us in giving a HUGE thank you to all our Dance Like a Mother sponsors. Their support powers our mission of supporting pregnant workers and caregivers in DC. Thank you for investing in the future of workers so they don’t have to choose between caring for their families and a paycheck.
Stacy Abrahamson
HasNa Foundation
@katzbankskumin
Correia & Puth, PLLC
@wermansalas
Outten & Golden LLP
Erlich Law Office
@josephgreenwaldlaakelaw
Spiggle Law Firm
District Employment Law PLLC
Bachman Law
@zagfirm@nationalcapitalbank
Erin Mohan and David Bend
Kator Parks Weiser & Wright
@lichtenlissriordan@hkmattorneys
Flynn Abell Nixon LLC
Let’s celebrate together! Join us at Dance Like a Mother TOMORROW at Metrobar DC. We’ll have snacks, activities and an amazing lineup of DJs. /events
Event details:
May 8 from 6 PM-12 AM
Metrobar
640 Rhode Island Avenue NE
Paid parking available, metro accessible
#dancelikeamother #empathywithanedge
Dance Like a Mother 2026 is on Friday! We’re grateful to our Gold Level Sponsor, Sally Abrahamson, for helping us make this event possible. Sally’s incredible support allows us to put on this free, community dance party celebrating and highlighting moms.
Polish those dancing shoes and meet us on the dance floor Friday at 6 PM! /events
Event details:
May 8 from 6 PM-12 AM
Metrobar DC
640 Rhode Island Avenue NE
Paid parking available, metro accessible
#dancelikeamother #empathywithanedge
Thanks @midcitydcnews for featuring our annual fundraiser and community dance party, Dance Like a Mother! We can’t wait!
Event details:
May 8 from 6 PM-12 AM
Metrobar DC
640 Rhode Island Avenue NE
Paid parking available, metro accessible
#dancelikeamother #empathywithanedge
