In 1973 Janet N. Newman, with the aid of a few of her friends, organized Gray Panthers in this area. A first accomplishment was obtaining free checking accounts for elderly people in local banks.

The following year, GPMW began an on-going effort to get rent control and helped pass the rent control and condominium conversion laws.

In coalition with other groups, we are continually pressing for improvements in public housing and have brought the attention of the public to grim conditions in which some seniors citizens now live.

We have fought against the enormous rate increases and demanded by the gas, electric and telephone companies and take part in the work of the Consumer Utility Board. We also joined in a coalition to increase Aid to Dependent Children (ADC) and to obtain Family Leave for parents.

Universal health care has been a continuing concern, locally and nationallly, and we have campaigned for a single-payer system. Until that comes about, we fight to preserve Medicare and Medicaid, and we suggest a quote "Medicare" for children.

We have had particular concern for the healthcare of low-income and uninsured people, and Gray Panthers were able at one point to prevent the Dirstrict government from cutting 40,000 people off the rolls of the "medically needy".

The GP also published a model guide entitled " DOES YOUR DOCTOR TAKE MEDICARE ASSIGNMENT" which pressured the Federal Government to distribute this information around the country.

GPMW has played a leading role in the fight to maintain hard-one social security benefits. GPMW believes that financial security during retirement should be an established right of all citizens, and not subject to the whims of political change.

We organized the Coalition for Adequate Income and we obtained a city supplement for people on Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

While we work to improve living conditions in the District we recognize that one serious problem is the large percentage of our national budget that is used for defense. We have campaigned for economic conversion of these funds for peaceful endeavors and the improvement of the environment.

We cooperate with local unions in their efforts to unionize workers, particularly those in the lower end of the income scale.

Also, we take part in various educational programs each year such as the Hiroshima/ Nagasaki Commemoration and the "Toys-of-Peace" (TOPS) campaign.

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