In light of the insurrection against the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021 and the barriers to mobilizing law enforcement to protect residents, elected officials and Capitol staff because of D.C.'s status, leaders from 60+ civil rights, labor, racial justice, and progressive organizations part of Democracy for All 2021 Action and Just Democracy issued the following statement:

 

“As white extremist mobs sacked the Capitol and killed a police officer, elected officials, Hill staff, and Washingtonians faced a near-death experience because D.C. is not a state. Muriel Bowser, who is not a Governor, had to request the federal government’s help in deploying the National Guard, a request President Trump reportedly resisted initially.”

“Deploying the National Guard clearly wasn’t an issue for the President when it violently cracked down on peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters last year, again showing that D.C.’s lack of statehood continues to be rooted in white supremacy. In fact, white supremacists holding Confederate flags and wearing Nazi slogans were left to roam free in our nation’s capital without protection for the majority of Washingtonians who are Black and Brown.”

“The lack of representation for nearly half a million Washingtonians of color and the more than 30,000 veterans who have fought for our freedoms is arguably one of the worst cases of voter suppression in our country. That’s why we join Mayor Bowser and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton in urging the Biden administration to work with Congress to swiftly make D.C. a state. It’s past time we give a voice to the more than 710,000 people who call D.C. home and end more than two centuries of oppression against Washingtonians of color.”

“Our democracy is under unprecedented threat today because of white supremacy and conservative leaders who have worked tirelessly to chip away at representative democracy so they can get elected without actually representing the people. It’s time to reform our system from the ground up so all our leaders respect the will of the people and build a government that’s representative of everyone, including Washingtonians.”

 

SIGNATORIES:

Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers

Lorella Praeli, President, Community Change Action

Brian Kettenring and Ana Maria Archila, Executive Directors, Center for Popular Democracy 

Sabeel Rahman, President, Demos Action

Lauren Groh-Wargo, CEO, Fair Fight Action

Ezra Levin & Leah Greenberg, Co-Executive Director, Indivisible

Justin “Yaddiya” Johnson, Founder, Long Live Go Go 

Gene Karpinski, President, League of Conservation Voters

Alexis Confer, Executive Director, March for Our Lives

Rahna Epting, Executive Director, MoveOn

Derrick Johnson, President, NAACP

Becky Pringle, President, NEA

Ben Wessel, Executive Director, NextGen America

Alexis McGill Johnson, President and CEO, Planned Parenthood Action Fund

Mary Kay Henry, President, SEIU

Michael Brune, Executive Director, Sierra Club

Sean Eldridge, Founder & President, Stand Up America

Alexis Anderson-Reed, CEO & Miles Rapoport, Board Chair, State Voices

Amanda Brown Lierman, Executive Director, Supermajority

María Teresa Kumar, Founding President, Voto Latino

Marc Perrone, President, UFCW

Maurice Mitchell, National Director, Working Families Party

Stasha Rhodes, Campaign Manager, 51for51

Donna Hylton, Founder, A Little Piece of Light

Soffiyah Ellijah, Executive Director, Alliance of Families for Justice

Greg Speed, President, America Votes

Rep. Reginald Bolding Jr., Co-Executive Director, Arizona Coalition for Change

Liz Jaff, President, Be A Hero

Mondale Robinson, Founder, Black Male Voter Project

Nourbese Flint, Executive Director, Black Women for Wellness Action Project

LaNiece Jones, Executive Director, Black Women Organized for Political Action

Linda Goler Blount, President & CEO, Black Women's Health Imperative

Kris Brown, President, Brady

Shenika Carter, President & Founder, Caravan For Racial Justice

Tamra DeBrady, President, Colorado Black Women for Political Action

Dusti Gurule, Executive Director, Colorado Org for Latina Opportunity and Repro Rights

Brian Fallon, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Demand Justice

Yvette Simpson, CEO, Democracy for America

Bo Shuff, Executive Director, DC Vote

Angela Ferrell-Zabala, Chief Equity Outreach And Partnerships Officer,  Everytown for Gun Safety

Jonathan Schleifer, Executive Director, Fairness Project

Charles Brooks, Co-Founder, Faith Works

Kevin Kimble Esq., Founder and Board Chair, Financial Services Innovation Coalition

Ashlee Wisdom, Founder & CEO, Health in Her Hue

Tyra Walker,  Co-Chair, Kentucky Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression

Nathalie Rayes, President & CEO, Latino Victory Project

Jhody Polk, Founder & Director, Legal Empowerment & Advocacy Hub

Rev. Dr. Dawn Riley Duval, Co-Founder, Let My People Vote: A Program of Soul 2 Soul Sisters

Candice Bailey, Founder & Community Actionist, Lighthouse Consultants Colorado

David Johns, Executive Director, National Black Justice Coalition

Marcus Bass, Deputy Director, North Carolina Black Alliance

Dr. Magdala Chery, Founder, Not Just a Black Body

Yadira Sanchez, Co-Executive Director, Poder Latinx

Naquasia Pollard, Executive Director, Pure Legacee

Pamela Bosley, Co-Founder, Purpose Over Pain

Kevin B. Kimble, Esq, D.C. Bureau Chief and Executive Director of the SCL Global Policy Institute, SCLC National

Dázon Dixon Diallo, Founder & President, SisterLove

Dr. Krystal Redman, Executive Director, SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW!, Inc.

Aaron Belkin, Director, Take Back the Court

Aalayah Eastmond, Executive Council Member, Team Enough 

Bamby Salcedo, President & CEO, TransLatin@ Coalition

Stephany Rose Spaulding, Founder, Truth and Conciliation Commission

Renee Bracey Sherman, Founder, We Testify 

Shawna Watley, Co-Founder, WIILD

 

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About Just Democracy

Just Democracy is an intersectional coalition with racial justice at its core — uplifting voices from all walks of American life that are too often left out of the conversation. The coalition is made up of over 40 Black and Brown-led organizations working across issue areas. It mobilizes thousands who know that advancing social and racial justice issues first requires bold structural democracy reform.

To speak with a Just Democracy spokesperson, please email press@justdemocracy.us.

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