DC Statehood

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Despite having a population and economy larger than some states, the people of DC lack a federal voice and local autonomy. But decades of advocacy and activism have raised the prospect of DC Statehood once again. This collection of articles explores the evolving arguments for statehood, and highlights some of the local characters who have been pushing it for some time.

The State of Public Power in 2023

Claire M, Advait A, Tom M

As the DSA continues its fight to realize the Green New Deal, we have much to learn from both the wins and the setbacks the fight for public power has sustained this year.

Book Review: Disrupting DC: The Rise of Uber and Fall of the City

Disrupting DC recounts a local episode in corporate control of our shared social life.

Congressional Republicans attack DC again. What’s DC going to do about it?

Midsummer Edition

Republicans in Congress, having solved the rest of America’s problems, have renewed their focus on how the District of Columbia runs its municipal affairs.

Time to Fight Back Against Attacks on DC Home Rule

The fight for full democracy for DC will not reach conclusion until DC’s citizens and elected officials unite to bring it about, by any means necessary.

Congress, Justice and Statehood: A question of democracy

Congressional denial of the rights of DC residents has always been built on demagogy and resentment.

Want to protect abortion rights in DC? Fight for Statehood

The District's lack of autonomy leaves its 700,000 residents vulnerable to the political right's misogynistic machinations.

The 2022 DC Primaries and the Future of the District

An analysis of the District 2022 primary elections suggest DC is depolarizing around race and repolaring around class.

How Socialists Can Flood the Zone in DC's Local Politics

By laying a foundation of civic and political education in local Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, the DSA can equip and prepare socialists to vie for power in the District.

We should have known: the Left can no longer rely on the courts

The battle for basic rights is about to get tougher. So must the Left.

Mayor Muriel Bowser and the housing fund she mismanaged

Alex Mell-Taylor

The vehicle Mayor Bowser is using to build more affordable units is not well managed, and her administration has a history of using it to reward developers that do not perform the best.

Reflections from 1985: Number 51

DC statehood is back on the nation’s agenda. With Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress, only a likely Senate filibuster stands in the way of adding a 51st star to the US flag.

Reflections from 1984: Interview with Josphine Butler

Stu Comstock-Gay

A republished interview from 1984 with DC statehood and environmental activist Josphine Butler.

Reflections from 1997: Croft for City Council

Longtime DSA member Howard Croft, who died of COVID-19 in June, ran for DC Council in 1997. This article provides a concise overview of Croft’s accomplishments to that point and the vision he brought to the race for the Ward 6 seat.

Trump’s Attacks Show Why DC Needs Statehood

The treatment of the District during both the COVID-19 crisis and the Black Lives Matter protests provides yet another argument why the District needs self-government.

The Time is Now for DC Statehood

Dr. Oye Owolewa

The push to make DC the 51st state has reached its next critical stage.

Remembering Dr. Howard Croft

Multiple Authors

Dr. Howard Croft, DC Statehood advocate, professor and chair of urban studies at UDC and longtime member of Metro DC DSA from its earliest days, has died. Members and activists who have long memories of his tireless work for empowerment of all residents of the District of Columbia contribute their recollections.

Reflections from 1983: Hilda Mason

Hilda Mason was not only a longtime DC councilmember but also an open socialist, making her one of the few DSA members in elected office prior to 2017.

On Impeachment, DC Is on the Outside Looking In

The proposed bill from a decade ago, which would have given DC a single vote in the House but no Senate representation, sold democracy short. That would have given DC no voice in the impeachment trial, nor in the confirmation votes of the rogues’ gallery of Trump appointees.

DC Statehood Hearing: Civil Rights Clashes with GOP Partisanship

While being a socialist isn’t required to support statehood for the District, the cause does demand the support and involvement of all true socialists.

DC Statehood Gets Hearing in House September 19

While proposals for DC statehood have been submitted in each Congress for decades, the current bill is the first to have been declared a priority by the Democratic leadership of both houses.

DC Statehood Gets Hearing in House July 24

The struggle for full democratic rights for the District of Columbia will take another step forward on July 24 when the House Committee on Oversight and Reform holds a hearing on H.R. 51, a bill to make the DC the 51st state.

DC Statehood: Moving forward in 2019

Odds appear good that a bill for DC statehood will pass the House of Representatives, a new first in the fight for equality for the District. And unfortunately, that’s where it will stop.

DC just saved the country millions of dollars - now, a favor

DC has been playing an increasingly assertive role in facing down the hostile occupier sitting in the White House. Now we need to ask for a favor from those outside the District.

Amending the Will of the People: I-77 Versus the “Tipped Wage Workers Amendment”

Employer lobbying groups continue to masquerade under the guise of defending worker’s rights.

Democracy, Block by Block: The ANC Elections Working Group

Some of [what happens in ANCs] is minutiae that you may not be interested in, but it is the real nuts-and-bolts of self-governance at work.

The racial politics of mass incarceration, and its complex history in Washington DC

To understand the roots of mass incarceration and warrior-style policing in DC we must start with a profound social fact: In the years preceding and during our punishment binge, black communities were devastated by historically unprecedented levels of crime and violence.

A History of DC through the lens of race

Every significant development in the history of the district has had a racial component. This is a city whose very existence is steeped in racial geography.

Colonialism's Legacy: Neglect in Puerto Rico, Suffocation in DC

If Puerto Rico is cursed by federal Washington's indifference and neglect, the District of Columbia has the opposite problem: suffocating micromanagement

DSA Urges DC Government to Defend Immigrant Residents

Even as cities across the country declare themselves as sanctuaries, DC has come under special scrutiny due to its colonial status.

Trump's toxic nominees: another argument for DC Statehood

DC residents can't appeal to a member of Congress to stop a Trump nominee. So stop asking us...