The United States, an international beacon of freedom and democracy, is the only democracy in the world that does not allow voting representation for its capital city in the national legislature. In a representative democracy, we see our Christian values of respecting the dignity of every human being reflected. One way we can honor the dignity of all is to grant equal rights, including the right to vote.

The District of Columbia, our nation’s capital, is home to more than 700,000 residents, a population greater than Vermont and Wyoming. According to data from the Census Bureau, nearly half the population of the District of Columbia is Black or African American followed by non-Hispanic White (37.5%), Hispanic or Latino (11.3%), and Asian (4.5%), making the district one of only a handful of majority-minority jurisdictions in America. D.C. residents have fought and died in every war since the founding of the republic, and more than 26,000 veterans reside in the federal district today.

The Episcopal Church’s 77th General Convention expressed support for the rights of D.C. residents in the strongest terms. The Episcopal Church views D.C. representation as a matter of justice. The U.S. government taxes D.C. residents without providing them with voting representation in Congress. Statehood is the only way this injustice can be remedied.

That is why The Episcopal Church strongly supports H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, sponsored by D.C.’s Congresswoman, the Hon. Eleanor Holmes Norton. H.R. 51 would admit D.C. to the union as the 51st state, while carving out the immediate area around the White House, the National Mall, and the Capitol complex as “the Capital” to preserve the most immediately relevant areas of D.C. for federal government purposes.

By passing H.R. 51 Congress can right a longstanding constitutional wrong, address a lingering racial injustice (given D.C.’s majority-minority demographics), and further our founding mandate to build a more perfect union. We urge you to contact your representative and senators and urge them to support H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act.

In Case You Missed It
Statement on President Biden’s Day One Actions

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