DC Crime Bill Flap Repeats Congress's Refusal of Home Rule 55 Years Ago

by Kyla Sommers

In the period after the rebellions provoked by the assassination of Martin Luther King, Congress pushed "tough on crime" measures on the district even as the local government sought to reduce racial inequality in criminal justice. "Tough on Crime" won, with results that are still present today. 

Why are the Dems Denying DC Self-Government?

Historian (and HNN Alum) Kyla Sommers connects the recent Senate rejection of DC's local crime legislation to the history of suspicion of Black political power in the District. 

There Once Was a Republican Fight for D.C. Statehood

Historian Derek Musgrove's research on DC statehood shows that prominent Republicans, including conservative Barry Goldwater and segregationist Strom Thurmond, have strongly supported the cause in the past. 

Eleanor Holmes Norton’s Long, Lonely Fight to Gain DC Voting Rights

Eleanor Holmes Norton has always advocated for DC statehood and full representation in Congress, but today places a higher priority on comprehensive voting rights legislation. 

Don’t Fall for the D.C. Retrocession ‘Okey-Doke’

by Chris Myers-Asch and Derek Musgrove

The idea of resolving DC's lack of representation by "retrocession" of the territory beyond the Capitol grounds to Maryland gives Republicans what they want and ignores what DC residents overwhelmingly want: statehood. 

How White Fears of ‘Negro Domination’ Kept D.C. Disenfranchised for Decades

George Derek Musgrove and Chris Myers-Asch, authors of "Chocolate City: A History of Race and Democracy in the Nation's Capital" have recently written a report for a nonprofit advocating DC statehood. They argue that Congressional efforts to disempower DC residents after 1871 have reflected White fears of Black political power. 

Is the Two-Century Battle for D.C. Statehood Finally Near an End?

by Robinson Woodward-Burns

"D.C. residents have gained rights in fits and starts, often running into both constitutional and congressional hurdles. In recent decades, members of Congress have raised new impediments, driven by partisanship tinged with racism."

The Battle Against D.C. Statehood is Rooted in Anti-Black Racism

by Kyla Sommers

"The continued power of Congress over the District’s affairs is rooted in this same fear of Black power and racist belief that a majority-non-White populace is incapable of independently governing itself."

D.C. Statehood Is Good for the Democrats, Good for Democracy

by George Derek Musgrove and Chris Myers Asch

DC statehood will secure the citizenship rights of the city's residents and begin to repair the crisis of legitimacy caused by the gross imbalance of political representation in the U.S. Senate. 

Is DC Statehood Possible and If So, How?

On July 16, historian Derek Musgrove and ex-Post columnist Bob Levey will discuss how statehood became the top strategy to gain full citizenship for DC.