The Fight for STatehood,
1998 – Present
In 1998, twenty D.C. residents file a federal lawsuit asking for representation in Congress, either through statehood or by uniting D.C. with Maryland. But the court rejects their suit. Others seek a constitutional amendment to build public support for voting rights. But this fails as well.
Residents then establish a non-profit organization “DC Vote” to build congressional and public support for voting rights. DC Vote leaders collaborate with Republican Representative Tom Davis of Virginia to convert D.C.’s single non-voting delegate, held by Eleanor Holmes Norton, to a full congressional seat with voting rights, by balancing her seat with an additional seat from Utah. The bill achieves bipartisan support but at the last minute, Republicans introduce an amendment blocking D.C.’s ability to regulate guns in the District. Ms. Norton asks House leadership to drop the legislation.
Five years of hard lobbying and compromises come to naught. Worse, the newly elected Republican Party destroys any prospect for expanded rights for D.C. citizens.
The Wilson Building (Credit: Michelle Kinsey Bruns)
Finally, all D.C. advocates come to see statehood as the only realistic option. On September 19th, 2019, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Mayor Muriel Bowser, and the senior members of Bowser’s Administration defend legislation, HR 51, calling for statehood for Washington, D.C. before a House Congressional Committee. Democrats on the panel are sympathetic but Republicans are strongly opposed. The legislation then must be considered by the Senate where D.C. supporters expect opposition from Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell. The Congressional hearing occurs at the same time that the Washington Nationals are playing in the World Series. The House bill passes out of committee and is slated to be considered by the House on June 26, 2020. Witnesses and historians look at the long history of Washington’s fight for representation in Congress and for self-government. They make the case for voting rights as a fundamental issue, affecting a population that has now reached 702,000 people. Unexpectedly, the Nationals win the World Series, a first in baseball franchise history. In thinking about this remarkable win, District Councilmember Anita Bonds flags the fact that Washington, D.C.’s residents, in every way but voting rights, are part of the fabric of America and deserve equal rights of self-government.
American Dream (Credit Mobilus In Mobili)