Emancipation Day: Honor with the Vote and the Statehood
Floor Speech
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Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, during the next 3 days, I will be coming to the floor, leading up to Thursday, April 16--D.C. Emancipation Day. That is the day that Abraham Lincoln emancipated the slaves in the District of Columbia before slaves nationwide were emancipated.
Now, no resident of the District of Columbia is a slave today as in 1863, but at the same time, the residents of the District of Columbia are not as free as the other residents of our country--our fellow Americans. In the District of Columbia, we commemorate D.C. Emancipation Day, not only to honor our forebears but to demand equal treatment from our country for the citizens who live in the Nation's Capital.
Mr. Speaker, the citizens who live right here in the belly of freedom do not have the same rights as other Americans although they pay the same taxes and more taxes--I will argue tomorrow and show you the figures--than any other Americans. They endure undemocratic interference even with their local budget--a budget for which the Federal Government, for which the Congress, contributes not one penny--and yet that local budget comes before this body without the Member who represents the local citizens--the Member whose local budget is at issue cannot vote.
As astounding as those elements of statehood are, perhaps none is more dishonorable than the continued sacrifices of Americans who live in the Nation's Capital without having the same representation as other Americans. We are known, perhaps, in the Nation's Capital by ``no taxation without representation.'' If there is anything by which we could be better known, it is by those who have fought and died since the war that created the United States of America, itself. Who would believe what those figures show?
In World War I, more casualties than from three States. In World War II--now, this is one city of which we are speaking--more casualties than from four States. By the time we get to the Korean war, more casualties than from eight States of the Union. All of that is disproportionate, Mr. Speaker. Finally, when we get to the last great war of the 20th century, the Vietnam war, more casualties from the District of Columbia than from 10 States.
Thousands have died--all without a vote--and yet D.C. citizens have secured the vote everywhere they have fought for their country. They secured the vote for the people of Iraq. They secured the vote for the people of Afghanistan. They secured the vote for citizens throughout Europe and the Mideast. But here, to this day in 2015--more than 150 years after Lincoln freed the first slaves in the District of Columbia--the residents of the District of Columbia are still not free. They will not be free until they become citizens of the 51st State of the United States and until their war dead are honored as the war dead of other States are honored--by going to war on the vote of the people, including of their own Representative, coming back, and being able to vote themselves.
So, Mr. Speaker, on this first day of D.C. Emancipation Week, I ask that the D.C. war dead be honored and that those from the District of Columbia who serve our Nation today be honored with the vote and with statehood.
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