Fifty Years and Counting: The Struggle for DC Statehood

What follows is the story of DC Statehood’s 50-year journey from a dubious idea to legislation passed by the United States House of Representatives. For most of this journey, DC’s political establishment continued to view statehood as a questionable strategy. Within the last ten years, as advocacy increased, momentum for statehood grew, and the city’s political leaders recognized it as the path to first class citizenship for Washingtonians. Now, with the strength of a Mayoral initiative and referendum and support of Congressional Democrats behind it, DC statehood is moving closer to political reality.


The writing, editing, and layout of this history was supported by a Voting Rights and Statehood Grant to Vision House from the Office of the Secretary of the District of Columbia. The author is a statehood advocate whose participation began in 2008.

 

Kesh Ladduwahetty was responsible for design and layout. Jesse Lovell and Robert Fleming provided editorial support.

 

Research for this history did not proceed as planned, because the DC Library’s Washingtoniana Room, along with the rest of the city, was closed by the coronavirus pandemic shortly after the grant was awarded. I did have a copy of Chocolate City and was able to make good use of my computer and telephone. Fortunately, Evening Star and Washington Post articles are easily accessible online. It was also possible to use the internet to order a number of key books, including Sam Smith’s Captive Capital and an account of the 1982 Constitutional Convention by Delegate Philip Schrag. Another valuable online resource was the series of oral history videos recorded by John Hanrahan. The title of this series, available on Youtube, is Washington DC Lessons of the Sixties; there is a link to it in the bibliography. I was also able to interview 11 people who took part in this history and generously agreed to “meet with me” by telephone. Their names are listed in the bibliography.

 

Finally, I want to express my gratitude to the people I interviewed for making time to talk with me and for their commitment to DC self-determination. I also want to thank the advocates whose efforts sustained the statehood movement, even when it was a lonely cause. And I am indeed grateful to the Office of the Secretary of the District of Columbia for the opportunity to chronicle this important part of DC history.

 

Elinor Hart
Fall 2020

New Approach to Self Determination

“Statehood is a clear, just, and attainable goal to which District residents can aspire,” declared publisher Sam Smith, in the June 1970 issue of the DC Gazette, an alternative newsweekly. “That’s what we should demand, not some more benevolent form of colonialism foisted off as ‘home rule’… Our right is entire membership in the United States of America as the 51st state...”Continue reading

Home Rule and Congressional Voting Rights

Fauntroy’s agenda was the home rule legislation that had been stuck in the House, specifically in the House District Committee, chaired by John McMillan, a Dixiecrat from South Carolina, known as “Johnny Mac.” Fauntroy began building support for the home rule legislation as soon as he arrived...Continue reading

Statehood on the DC Ballot

In 1980, Ed Guinan, founder of the Community for Creative Non-Violence (better known as CCNV), a former Catholic priest, and DC Statehood Party member, challenged the party’s Central Committee. He informed them that he would soon file a statehood initiative with the DC Board of Elections, and if enough petition signatures could be gathered, the November ballot would have a referendum....Continue reading

Early Statehood Advocacy in Congress

As the inevitable death of the D.C. VRA became more and more obvious, support for statehood increased. Local leaders of the Self-Determination for DC Coalition became 51st state advocates, but their national affiliates refused to support statehood...Continue reading

Protests and Court Cases

During the Control Board period (1995-2001), advocacy for self-determination involved both protests against heavy-handed Congressional interference and federal court cases. The grassroots organization, Stand Up! for Democracy in DC Coalition, grew out of a meeting to protest the transfer of authority over the District government’s largest agencies to the Control Board in 1997...Continue reading

Enthusiasm for Voting Rights and Statehood

 

In 2003, the announcement by Republican Congressman Tom Davis from Northern Virginia of his support for a full-fledged House member to represent DC brought renewed hope to voting rights advocates. DC Vote, led at the time by Ilir Zherka as executive director, saw an opportunity to get a foothold in Congress for DC residents...Continue reading

Renewed Statehood Campaign

The sudden demise of the six-year campaign for the DC House Voting Rights Act reminded self-determination advocates that an incremental step can lead to a dead end, and statehood advocates again pressed DC’s Delegate to introduce statehood legislation....Continue reading

Recruiting Cosponsors – What Worked and What Didn’t

DC statehood advocates found three strategies effective for recruiting cosponsors. Simply asking did work with some members of Congress, particularly those in the Congressional Black Caucus. A number of Senators and Representatives responded to persistent and respectful requests from statehood advocates....Continue reading

Building Local and National Support for DC Statehood

Statehood advocates have been involved in numerous efforts to build support locally and nationally for the 51st state. One of their first was attending the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in 2012. In September of that year, the late Jerry Clark, Chair of DC for Democracy, led the effort to mobilize thirty plus volunteers to travel from Washington to Charlotte, North Carolina for the DNC...Continue reading

DC Government Champions Statehood

Council Chair Vincent Gray had an interest in statehood, even when DC’s elected leaders were very focused on the House Voting Rights Act.  In 2009, he appointed a Special Council Committee on Statehood and Self-Determination and led a delegation of Councilmembers to the National Conference of State Legislatures to promote DC statehood....Continue reading

Statehood Gains Momentum

Because of the shock and disappointment of the Presidential and Congressional elections, the success of the statehood referendum was largely overlooked by DC’s press and pundits. But statehood advocates were confident that the DC voters’ strong affirmation of statehood would make it possible to recruit even more cosponsors...Continue reading

A Year to Remember

Statehood advocates greeted 2020 with optimism and expectations of historic success for DC statehood. They looked forward to a vote by the House Committee early in the year and an affirmative vote of the full House in the spring...Continue reading

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