For Immediate Release: April 22, 2021

Contact: media@colorofchange.org

 

COLOR OF CHANGE RELEASES STATEMENT FOLLOWING HISTORIC HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES VOTE ON D.C. STATEHOOD 

Scott Roberts, Senior Director of Criminal Justice and Democracy Campaigns at Color Of Change, issued this statement following today’s historic House vote to make Washington, D.C. the 51st state in the country: 

“Today’s House vote to make Washington, D.C. the nation’s 51st state marks an important step toward voter justice for nearly 700,000 disenfranchised D.C. residents. For centuries, D.C.’s district status has robbed its residents of a voice in the electoral process and it continues to prevent tax-paying citizens from having a say in how those dollars are spent. In the nation’s capital, a city with a large Black population and whose historic buildings and monuments were quite literally built on the backs of Black people, this not only amounts to the longest case of voter suppression in American history; it’s a national embarrassment. 

“Washington, D.C. needs full and adequate representation to address the issues that disproportionately impact its majority-Black residents, like massive gaps in public education funding, astronomically high infection rates during the ongoing pandemic, and persistent police abuse and misconduct by the Metropolitan Police Department. 

“Washington, D.C.’s local laws, policies, and budget should no longer be at the whim of lawmakers who do not have the best interest of its citizens in mind. Our leaders should not have the right to cherry-pick who gets Congressional representation in our country. We now urge the Senate to take a stand and finally admit Washington, D.C. to the union as a state to end this centuries-long injustice, strengthen the country’s democratic process and prove that we will not tolerate government-sanctioned disenfranchisement.” 

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Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by over 7 million members, we move decision-makers in corporations and governments to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org