Battle for Washington, D.C., statehood is civil rights issue

Throughout our nation’s history, civil rights movements across the country have had to fight to achieve victories for the disenfranchised. And one of the most important civil rights issues of our time is the battle for District of Columbia statehood.

As a Washington, D.C., resident, I do not see this as being about politics. It’s about fulfilling the promise of our Constitution and enfranchising the more than 700,000 mostly Black and brown people, who have waited centuries for representation in Congress.

D.C.’s lack of representation continues to be rooted in white supremacy and driven by false concerns over “corruption” or the alleged inability of our city to manage its own affairs. These are all dog-whistle arguments meant to undermine leadership of color.

Talk of granting D.C. congressional representation has been present for decades, but wasn’t widely recognized as an issue until the civil rights movement in the 1950s. At that time, D.C. was 65% white and fairly evenly split in terms of party affiliation, which made the fight for representation politically viable.

By 1970, however, more than 70% of D.C. was Black, and the district has remained a Black-majority city since then. Once you learn the city’s history, it becomes impossible to argue that the efforts to keep the residents of D.C. disenfranchised are anything but racist in nature.

In the 2020 election, Black and brown voters paved the way for President Joe Biden’s victory and empowered Democratic majorities in Congress to govern. It would be devastating for Democrats to squander an opportunity to pass D.C. statehood and correct a centuries-long stain on the legacy of our democracy.

So it’s disheartening when elected officials claim to espouse progressive ideals only to abandon course when they have the power to affect change. This moment in our history requires grit and determination. To fight for racial justice and equality in our democracy, President Biden and the Democratic Congress must make D.C. statehood a top priority.

We must not let these efforts be staggered by the filibuster, which has been used for decades to block racial justice and civil rights bills. The progressive movement has coalesced around a call to eliminate this arcane rule. D.C. statehood is a fight for representation and equality, and we must not let anything stand in the way.

The insurrection on Jan. 6 epitomizes why the District of Columbia must be granted statehood now. As supporters of then-President Donald Trump violated the Capitol building, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser tried to call in the National Guard, but her request was denied by the Department of Defense, which has sole control over deployment of the Guard in the nation’s capital.

The United States’ entrenched systems of white supremacy have protected the people who were committing treason, but suppressed those standing for justice and equality. For more than 200 years, these same racist institutions have disenfranchised the majority Black and brown residents of D.C., who live in the shadow of the center of our government but lack a vote in Congress. Now is the time to change the rules.

By Ty HobsonPowell