"[2] The organization traces its roots to a group of activists led by Quaker Larry Scott who began a vigil to protest the development of biological and chemical weapons at Fort Detrick in 1959.

In 1961, the group moved to Washington, D.C., and expanded their work to include peace education by organizing film screenings and discussions and publishing a local newspaper.

In the 1980s the Peace Center served as the local nexus for national and international opposition to the arms race and played a vital role in organizing resistance to the Reagan administration's interventions in Central America.

In the 2000s, the Center was involved with opposing the invasion and occupation of Iraq, countering military recruiters and attempting to institute a peace curriculum in area public schools, as well as working to close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, ending torture and restoring civil liberties at home.

[5] The Center organizes and hosts monthly skillshares as part of the DC Trainers Network in order to strengthen progressive social movements in Washington D.C.[6] As the Center's current website states, the summation of all of these efforts is that, "We envision a world based on respect for people and the planet that is achieved through nonviolence, peace and social justice.