Every Christmas Eve Busboys and Poets gathers a group of volunteers to go to New Beginnings Juvenile Detention Center to prepare and serve a special meal for youth serving time. A way of giving to our young people who may struggle particularly around the holiday season. Big thanks to all our volunteers!

New Beginnings is a secure residential treatment facility for young males. Youth at New Beginnings participate in the DC Model program, which provides supervision, rehabilitation, and planning for the youth’s return to his community. 


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For Langston Hughes on His 123 Birthday

Speech given on February 1, 2024 in Havana, Cuba In 1927 Langston Hughes walked into a Cuba amid an emerging community of artists, intellectuals, and radicals.  He saw a “sunrise in a new land [– a day – in his words]sic – full of brownskin surprises, and hitherto unknown contacts in a world of color.”  … Continued

The Making of Busboys and Poets

A Seat at the Table: The Making of Busboys and Poets

We’re proud to announce A Seat at the Table: The Making of Busboys and Poets, the new memoir from our CEO and Founder, which reveals the vision, challenges, and triumphs behind opening Busboys and Poets. Packed with misadventures, unexpected triumphs, and insights on race, business and politics, Andy Shallal’s memoir takes us on a “How I Built … Continued

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Palestine Week 2024

January 18, 2024 – January 25, 2024 In keeping with our ongoing mission of uplifting racial and cultural connections, Busboys and Poets is hosting Palestine Week (January 18 through January 25, 2024). This week-long series of events will offer a diverse range of programming featuring Palestinian food, music, dance, poetry, discussions, and other enriching events. … Continued

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State of the People at Busboys and Poets

We’re 30+ days into the longest federal government shutdown in history with no sure sign of when it’ll actually end (reopening for three weeks does not count, Mr. President.) The State of the Union address was scheduled to take place on January 29, 2019, but has never been given during a government shutdown. What should … Continued

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Cuba! Busboys and Poets Travel Tribe’s Cultural Exchange (July 2022)

Follow along for the Busboys and Poets Travel Tribe’s Cultural Exchange trip to Cuba (July 6-13, 2022) Wednesday, July 6, 2022 1. Heading to Cuba – The Charter Flight By Andy Shallal (@andyshallal CEO/Founder, Busboys and Poets) It is 5:30am. I am at the recently renovated National Airport. AKA Reagan. But for the name, this … Continued