(In Progress) Documenting the History of Civic Tech DC

This article is part of Civic Tech Reflections, a collection of observations from my work as Director of Civic Tech DC. It is intended to serve as an ongoing practice of learning in public.

For 12 years, Civic Tech DC has been around in various forms, yet its complete history has not been well-documented. How did it begin? What did it try? What didn’t hold?

Of course, it is understandable that rigorous documentation was not prioritized in the organization’s earlier seasons. When you are in the work of running events and responding to community needs, the reflective practice of recording seems less important in the moment.

However, without this documented history, hard-won lessons about what works and what doesn’t go unshared. Mistakes get repeated not out of carelessness, but out of a lack of knowledge that those mistakes were made before. It is also so important for the community to better understand the organization they are part of and see how it has evolved.

Inspired by the U.S. Digital Service Origins, here is Civic Tech DC’s history. It will be updated with new learnings and interviews with folks.