September 11, 2014

President Barack Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20500

 

Dear President Obama:

We write to you today as disenfranchised citizens in the District of the Columbia, the capital of the United States of America, to ask for your help.

On Monday, September 15, 2014, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, chaired by Senator Thomas Carper, will hold a hearing on S. 132: New Columbia Admission Act, a bill which would grant statehood to the District of Columbia. We are writing to ask you to send a letter to Senator Carper and the Committee, reiterating your support for District Statehood.

We in the District of Columbia were very happy to hear your comments during a July town hall meeting when you said, in regard to statehood, “I’m for it,” and, “it’s the right thing to do.” These words were inspiring to the over 640,000 people who live in the District. But those of us who live and vote in D.C. are not the ones who need inspiration. We have spoken for decades on the civil and human right that is full enfranchisement and statehood. Now we need you, Mr. President, to add your voice in a powerful and official way by sending a letter to the Senate.

We understand there’s unlikely to be a quick resolution in this debate. As we referenced in a letter to Senator Carper, the women’s suffrage movement took nearly a half-century from the time of its first hearing in Congress to 1919, when the vote was won. Your support, Mr. President, will help to highlight for people all the around the country, that the citizens of the District of Columbia do not enjoy certain basic rights of citizenship, including representation in the United States Senate and voting representation in the House of Representatives; control of locally raised and allocated funds (as we saw during the 2013 federal government shutdown); and autonomy in determining our own laws and municipal policies.

Thank you for your consideration of this most urgent matter. We look forward to your response and your support of full statehood for the citizens of the District of Columbia.

Sincerely,                                                                       

Phil Mendelson                                                                      

Chairman                                                                                

  

Jim Graham                                                                             Jack Evans

Ward 1                                                                                    Ward 2

 

Mary M. Cheh                                                                         Muriel Bowser           

Ward 3                                                                                    Ward 4

 

Kenyan McDuffie                                                                   Tommy Wells 

Ward 5                                                                                    Ward 6

 

Yvette Alexander                                                                   Marion Barry  

Ward 7                                                                                    Ward 8

 

Anita Bonds                                                                            David Catania

At-Large                                                                                 At-Large

  

David Grosso                                                                          Vincent Orange

At-Large                                                                                 At-Large