It is a supreme disgrace that 127 years after his death, abolitionist Frederick Douglass should be denied the right to originate from a plantation that is still not free to govern itself. It is shameful that the District of Columbia continues to be denied citizenship through democratic means of representation by either political party in the United States House of Representatives or Senate, while its residents pay the highest federal taxes per person in the entire country, fight in all wars, cannot have the final say on legislation and budgets passed by its duly elected legislature and has little input to the nomination and appointment process of its own judges.

The District continues to be threatened with the stripping of its locally elected legislature and what has been called its weak “home rule” self-government – to be replaced by what? By tyrannical oversight of a Congress not elected by nearly 700,000 D.C. residents? This is occurring nearly two years after the House – twice – passed a full D.C. statehood bill!

This is a denial and a disgrace that must end! We must defend our right to a government of, by and for the people that is the crucial spirit of democracy that we claim lives and is sacred to this country. We must act to verify Douglass’ forewarning: “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.”

What form must that action take? Douglass proved that remaining a slave was impossible and undemocratic. This bill to abolish D.C. Home Rule must strengthen our push for statehood. We must fight on until the Douglass Commonwealth becomes the 51st state!

For more information, read: 

Norton Condemns and Vows to Defeat Clyde’s Effort to Return D.C. to Full Colony
Office of D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Press Release, February 17, 2022