Today, the District of Columbia celebrated Emancipation Day, when Washingtonians commemorate the day President Abraham Lincoln freed all enslaved persons in the District. While it is a day to recognize the courage and perseverance of those who fought and sacrificed to end slavery, it is also a reminder that DC residents are still not fully free and that DC’s fight for equality is not over. Our 706,000 taxpaying residents are denied voting representation in Congress, and the only way we will truly achieve equal citizenship is through DC statehood.
While we continue our march for statehood, the District also takes on many responsibilities of a state, including being part of the nationwide effort to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We operate independently to procure resources to equip our first responders and medical personnel, and we have taken extraordinary steps locally to stem the spread of this virus and prevent our region from becoming the next hot spot.
But when Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, it shortchanged the District by $750 million by treating the nation’s capital like a federal territory. This dangerous action will have real life and death consequences not only for our residents, but also the federal workers who call the District and our region home. So while we continue to fight for statehood and our equal democratic rights as American citizens, we also are fighting for equal treatment among the states in confronting this public health emergency.
So please, join us as we push not only to achieve statehood, but also to fix this latest injustice and ensure the District receives the critical relief funding our residents need.
For the latest information on COVID-19 and the District’s response, please visit http://coronavirus.dc.gov.
While we continue our march for statehood, the District also takes on many responsibilities of a state, including being part of the nationwide effort to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We operate independently to procure resources to equip our first responders and medical personnel, and we have taken extraordinary steps locally to stem the spread of this virus and prevent our region from becoming the next hot spot.
But when Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, it shortchanged the District by $750 million by treating the nation’s capital like a federal territory. This dangerous action will have real life and death consequences not only for our residents, but also the federal workers who call the District and our region home. So while we continue to fight for statehood and our equal democratic rights as American citizens, we also are fighting for equal treatment among the states in confronting this public health emergency.
So please, join us as we push not only to achieve statehood, but also to fix this latest injustice and ensure the District receives the critical relief funding our residents need.
For the latest information on COVID-19 and the District’s response, please visit http://coronavirus.dc.gov.