On Eve of U.S. 250th Anniversary, ACLU-DC Renews Its Call for D.C. Statehood

WASHINGTON – As the nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and commemoration events are underway in Washington, the American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia issued a reminder today that, without statehood, the promise of democracy remains elusive for the people of D.C.

The following statement can be attributed to Monica Hopkins, executive director of the ACLU of D.C.:

“As our country marks 250 years of American democracy here in D.C., it is a bitter irony that the 700,000 people who live here are still denied the same rights granted to residents of every other state. It is a historical wrong. It has left the people of the District vulnerable to the whims of a tyrannical Congress and president. Without statehood, the law allows members of Congress from Utah, Michigan, Tennessee, and anywhere else in the country to make decisions for the people who live in, work in, and visit D.C., even when those decisions go against what D.C. residents want. It is troublingly clear that, generation after generation, our federal government has made the choice to keep political power out of the hands of a majority-Black and brown jurisdiction.

“Recently, President Trump mused that he would consider taking away the limited autonomy that D.C. has through Home Rule if he didn’t like the outcome of our recent primary election. That statement tells us all we need to know about why D.C. has been denied statehood.

“Voters around the country send their elected representatives and senators to Congress to address the problems that impact their daily lives. Jobs. Housing. Food stability. Healthcare. Education. They do not elect members of Congress to come to Washington and micromanage the people of D.C.”

To learn more about ACLU-DC's work on statehood, visit this link:
https://dcstatehoodnow.org/