|
Here’s what you can do today -- 
Indivisibles,
Today is an important next step in the fight for D.C. statehood, as the House Oversight Committee holds a hearing on the statehood bill, H.R. 51. This hearing is critical for several reasons -- it serves as an opportunity to educate the public (and the Democratic senators who are still dragging their feet on supporting statehood) about the historic injustice that currently leaves the 700,000+ D.C. residents (a plurality of whom are Black) without voting representation in Congress. In addition, this hearing provides an opportunity for lawmakers to debate the constitutional and logistical path to making D.C. the 51st state.
This isn’t the first time that the House has held a hearing on D.C. statehood, but the last time it did (in 2019), Republicans were still in control of the Senate, meaning there was no chance that the bill would be considered after it passed the House. This time is different. Democrats have a trifecta -- which means D.C. statehood is finally within reach.
But that doesn’t mean this fight is going to be easy. While the bill currently has 216 co-sponsors in the House and 42 co-sponsors in the Senate, we still need to pressure our members of Congress to prioritize H.R. 51. Call your representative and demand they support the Washington, D.C. statehood bill. Click here to call now. Then keep reading for more ways to get involved!
As a D.C. resident, you know first-hand the challenges that arise from your lack of representation in Congress, and that’s why we’re asking you to make a video about what D.C. statehood means to you. Click here to record a video now.
Why D.C. statehood is so important
By now, Indivisibles like you know democracy reform is critical to ensuring that we achieve all the progressive priorities we fought so hard for during the last four years. And one of the ways that we do that is by making D.C. the 51st state. If granted statehood, D.C. would be the only state in the nation to have a plurality of Black residents -- which means that hundreds of thousands of residents in the District would gain equal representation in Congress for the first time, thereby overturning hundreds of years of disenfranchisement and racism.
In addition, D.C. statehood would add two new senators who would work to rebalance the Senate from entrenched minority control. The current makeup of the Senate is biased towards largely white, low-population states. This means that Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) and people living in more populous states receive less representation in the Senate. Making D.C. a state would begin to counteract this bias, which is why it’s a crucial step in reforming our democracy so that it works for the people, not just the white, powerful, or wealthy.
If you’re all-in for D.C. statehood, call your representative and demand they support the Washington, D.C. statehood bill. Then, tackle this short list of things you can also do to support statehood:
Stay tuned on our social media, Indivisible Team on Twitter and Indivisible Guide on Facebook, to follow along on the latest from the House Oversight hearing. We’ll also follow up later here with more details and next steps. In the meantime, make your voices heard throughout the day to demand D.C. statehood.
In solidarity,
Indivisible Team 
|
