David Reed was born in 1948 in Bel Air, Maryland. He was active in building interracial solidarity against racist activity in Bel Air as a young adult. He then moved to Peru and worked organizing peasants there, using popular education techniques inspired by Paolo Freire’s work. Reed studied in Geneva and was involved in international solidarity organizing, and was particularly interest in the role of education in empowerment. When he returned to Washington in the late 1970s, he became involved in organizing around housing issues, and worked with others to revitalize the work of the City Wide Housing Coalition, which was fighting for tenants’ rights in D.C. He discusses City Wide’s work, including its housing education training program, the murder of City Wide activist Yulanda Ward, and the demise of City Wide. He reflects on what current organizers could learn from the work of City Wide. Reed currently lives in Takoma Park, Maryland, and has become active in local housing issues again after a long career of international environmental policy work.