Northwest DC is home to many dynamic, knowledgeable voices. Join us for NNV’s free Speaker Series, featuring engaging talks from local experts designed to inform and inspire.
A Conversation with DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb
Attorney General Schwalb will discuss what the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) is doing to assist and support older adults in the District. He will speak about the OAG’s work to combat scams, protect consumers and preserve and defend home rule.
Brian L. Schwalb has committed his legal career to using the law in service of others, advocating for what matters most to the people and organizations he represents. As the District of Columbia’s second independent elected attorney general, Brian is committed to fighting for D.C., District residents and District autonomy, to advancing the public interest, and to ensuring that the law works to make the District safer, healthier, and more equitable for all who live, visit and work here.
Brian is a third-generation Washingtonian. After graduating from Duke University and Harvard Law School, and completing a two-year judicial clerkship, Brian served as a trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice. After completing his service with the Justice Department, Brian entered private practice representing clients – individuals, businesses, nonprofits and families — in a multitude of high stakes matters including advocating for people injured by excessive, unconstitutional police force, defrauded out of their assets, and fighting for their lives on death row.
Before being elected Attorney General, Brian was an experienced law firm leader, having served as Venable’s firm-wide Vice Chairman and as the Partner-in-Charge of Venable’s D.C. office. Among other professional recognitions, Brian is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
Echoes of Little Saigon: How One Immigrant Population Changed the DC Suburbs
Just over 50 years ago, the end of the Vietnam War sent refugees to safe havens across the globe, with many thousands settling in the United States with assistance from the U.S. military and refugee sponsors. These new arrivals created communities around the country, including a significant population in the northern Virginia suburbs, first in Arlington and later in Falls Church.
In Arlington’s “Little Saigon,” Vietnamese refugees forged livelihoods and support networks, determining how to become American while still holding onto what made them Vietnamese. One Vietnamese priest likened the challenge to “catching two fish with two hands.” Drawing on historical photos, oral history interviews, and other research, this program will examine the Vietnamese diaspora to the Washington, D.C., area, the development and preservation of Vietnamese enclaves like the ones in northern Virginia, the celebration of customs and cuisine, and more.
Kim O’Connell is a freelance journalist whose writing has appeared in national and regional publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Huffington Post Personal, AARP, Undark, National Parks Traveler, Washington Business Journal, Virginia Living, Arlington, and others. As the daughter of a Vietnamese immigrant and a white American father, Kim has made Vietnamese heritage and cuisine a particular focus of her work; she is the author of the booklet Echoes of Little Saigon: Vietnamese Immigration and the Changing Face of Arlington, Virginia, and wrote the text for a historical marker about Little Saigon in Arlington that was installed in 2025. Her website is www.kimaoconnell.com and she lives in Arlington.