February 10, 2020

Dear friend,

Death was in the spotlight last week in DC.

On February 3rd, radio legend and right-to-die activist Diane Rehm shared a stage at Sixth & I with Kojo Nnamdi (host of WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi Show) to discuss her new book, When My Time Comes. In When My Time Comes, Rehm interviews people with terminal illnesses as well as others who support (or oppose) medical aid-in-dying (MAID). The book (available in print and audio) is a fascinating and moving read. 

Rehm's book was released on February 4th. The next day, I was a guest on the Kojo Nnamdi Show. You can listen (or read the transcript) here. 

As a lifelong DC-area resident, being on this radio program was a dream. I was invited to talk about death cafes and the importance of talking about end-of-life issues. It was an incredible opportunity to spread the word about death cafes and let listeners know that remembering our mortality and discussing death with our loved ones is paramount. 

DC legalized MAID three years ago, and efforts are underway in Maryland and Virginia to do the same. At the end of January, staff and supporters from Compassion & Choices Maryland and Compassion & Choices Virginia lobbied their state legislatures (respectively) for MAID. I recommend following Compassion & Choices for updates. 

I have two workshops and a death cafe coming up soon. I hope to see you at one or more of these events. 

Upcoming Death Positive DC Events  

• A "Write Your Own Obituary" workshop at Rhizome on 2/22. Register here. 
• A "Five Wishes" workshop at Rhizome on 2/29. Five Wishes is an advance directive that covers personal, emotional, and spiritual issues and meets medical and legal criteria. It's America’s most frequently used living will and is legal in Maryland, Virginia, and DC. Register here. 
• A death cafe at Rhizome on 3/16. Details here. Please RSVP to sarah@deathpositivedc.com. 

Other Events In and Around DC  

• Compassion & Choices presentation, "Care and Choices at the End of Life," at the Smith Center on 2/18. 
• A Third Thursday End-of-Life Conversation on body and organ donation on 2/20. This event is for ages 60+. You must RSVP. Details here. 
• Congressional Cemetery book club on 3/10. 
• A book club at Oak Hill Cemetery on 3/11. 
• An end-of-life doula training with INELDA in Annapolis from 3/13 to 3/15. 
• Life & Death event in West VA in June. Death Positive DC will be there. 
• Check the Death Cafe website for an event near you (search by zip code). 

You can also scroll through the announcements section of Death Positive DC's Facebook group for a running list of DC-area events (it's more comprehensive than this newsletter). Events are organized by month. Always confirm events for yourself (I may not be aware of changes)...and let me know if I'm missing something! 

Feel free to email me anytime. 

Take care, 

Sarah 

Sarah Farr

(she/her/hers)

Founder & Director, Death Positive DC 

www.DeathPositiveDC.com

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Promoting conversations about death and connecting people around this topic

through social media and in-person events in the DC-area since 2017. 

Photo of Rev. William Lamar, Pastor of the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in DC, Kojo Nnamdi, and me at the WAMU 88.5 studio on February 5th.