Please welcome our new Education Coordinator, Azia Richardson-Williams, and Program Coordinator, Bi’Anncha Andrews!
Azia is a former educator with Atlanta Public Schools whose passion for lifelong learning and community empowerment led her to pursue a Master of Public Administration at George Washington University, with a focus on cultural institutions. She leverages her classroom experience to create dynamic learning opportunities within museums, theaters, and other cultural spaces, making education accessible and engaging for learners of all kinds. Her love for museums and live theater was shaped by years of working closely with students, helping them find meaning in storytelling and historical narratives. She is excited to bring that same passion to her work at the DC History Center.
As Education Coordinator, Azia will play a key role in supporting National History Day (NHD) at both the citywide and national levels. Leading up to the citywide contest on March 15, she will manage the NHD portal, track registration and participation data, recruit judges, and serve as a point of contact for educators and students. She is also coordinating with museums and cultural institutions to create drop-in experiences for students on the day of the competition, enriching their engagement with DC’s history beyond the contest itself. After the citywide competition, she will accompany regional winners to the national contest at the University of Maryland (June 8–12), ensuring they have the support they need to showcase their work on a national stage.
Looking ahead, Azia will spearhead the inaugural NHD in DC Summer Intensive, a professional development program designed to empower teachers to lead NHD preparation in their own classrooms and schools. She will develop hands-on workshops, resources, and activities that help educators integrate Library of Congress primary sources into student research. She will also nurture the NHD in DC advisory group, a growing community of local cultural heritage sites and organizations, to support teachers and students completing projects. By equipping teachers with the tools and strategies they need, this program will strengthen student participation in NHD and expand access to historical inquiry across DC schools.
Bi’Anncha Andrews joined us as programs coordinator in early February. Prior to this role, she served as the DC History Center’s 2024-2025 Researching Black Washingon Totman Fellow. During her fellowship, Bi’Anncha expanded her research to include other predominantly Black neighborhoods across all four quadrants of the city, revealing systematic patterns of dispossession that have uprooted long-time Black Washingtonians from their homes, communities, and most cherished possessions.
Bi’Anncha’s ongoing responsibilities as program coordinator include supporting public programming logistics for the DC History Center, including walking tours, genealogy workshops, book talks, film screenings, and more. She will also help execute the DC History Conference and will be the lead point of contact for the conference’s DC History Network.
Before joining the DC History Center, Bi’Anncha worked as a researcher for the Small Business Anti-Displacement Network (SBAN) housed in the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland, College Park. Additionally, she served as the Teaching Assistant for the Community Planning Studio offered to graduate students in the Master of Urban Studies program. In her spare time, she continues to serve as the Lead Researcher and Community Organizer for the #ReparationsforLakelandNow! campaign, which seeks justice for the historical harm inflicted on the past and present residents of Lakeland, Maryland.
Bi’Anncha is on her way to completing her doctorate in the Urban and Regional Planning and Design (URPD) program at the University of Maryland, College Park, and expects to graduate in May of 2025. She received her master’s degree in social work from The Catholic University of America and holds two bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice and psychology (double majors), which she obtained from Trinity Washington University in Washington, DC.