Black-Ass states’ rights (but not racist)
Welcome to the 44th installment of This Black-Ass Life. This Fourth of July, we’re talking all things D.C. statehood, why we deserve, and why it seems elected officials are considering it now that D.C. is gentrified like a mug. Also, protect Lil Nas X.
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l. The Facts
As of 2013, Washington, D.C. has a greater population than two states (Wyoming and Vermont), more active duty military service members than 29 states, a larger gross domestic product than 27 states and more tax revenue going to the federal government than 29 states.
AND YET! D.C. voters still do not have voting representation in Congress or full control over our local affairs.
This is a big ass deal. The 693,972 of us who live in the District have absolutely no say on any federal issues including adding and eliminating government programs, immigration, gun control, taxes, etc.
In the past few years, there's been a surge of support for D.C. statehood – almost all of the 234,675 Democratic presidential candidates support D.C. statehood, with Elizabeth Warren currently sponsoring a bill.
While this is fantastic, the reason is annoyingly racist.
It is no coincidence that the prominence of the issue outside of D.C. coincides with the whitening of the city. Quick history lesson:
D.C.’s Black population eclipsed the White population in the 1950s because White people ran away to Maryland and Virginia following school integration in 1954.
Even with a depressed municipal revenue, disinvestment from the federal government following the 1968 uprising, the war on drugs, local government mismanagement and an increasing crime rate, the majority-Black citizens of D.C. fought hard for statehood and formed the D.C. Statehood Party Committee in 1969.
Now that only 47.1% of D.C. residents are Black, down from over 71.1% when we were truly the chocolate city, the powers that be seems to have taken note.
Why does it matter?
It’s unconscionable that those of us in the District are taxed without representation. We are the only nation on earth with a “representative democracy” that denies voting representation to those in the capital city.
It’s clear statehood would have been considered had D.C. not been a majority-Black city that would vote Dem every time.
There are huge implications with not being able to pass our own laws in D.C.. For example, in 2011, Congress eliminated D.C.’s needle exchange program, which was specifically designed to address HIV-AIDS in the District.
Congress has also repeatedly blocked D.C. from legalizing cannabis and from allowing women to use Medicaid to obtain abortion services.
This STILL (gentrification be damned) majority-Black district deserves autonomy, damnit!
What can my Black ass do?
Show up on July 24 to Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2154 for the historic D.C. Statehood Hearing.
Sign up to give your dollars and/or time to DCVote.
ll. Other Things
What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?
Still LIVING for the Pride Grand Marshals: Mj Rodriguez, Indya Moore and Dominique Jackson.
Janet Mock made history at Netflix as the first out trans woman to call the shots at a major content company. Also she’s dating the ADORABLE Angel B. Curiel from POSE.
Say what you will about Kamala, but she turned sonning Joe into $2 million raised in 24 hours.
Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” is officially DIAMOND.
Halle Bailey is Ariel!
We have bigger fights in front of us than suing Hardees for civil rights violations for not getting us enough hash browns, but honestly, go awf, sir!
I (Jumoke) know it’s not my Black-ass song of the week, but this song is the song of the summer and I needed to share ASAP.
Our Black-Ass song of the week (Mitu):
Lil Nas X came out with a beautiful visual for Pride and his EP is also 🔥. Check it out.
Things we are looking forward to / things we are not looking forward to:
I (Jumoke) look forward to shenanigans on shenanigans this hot girl summer.
I (Mitu) look forward to supporting Jumoke’s shenanigans.
lll. Text from a Black-Ass Papa
My (Jumoke’s) dad sometimes sends me texts in Yoruba to test my literacy. Glad to say that I’m holding steady at a 3rd grade reading level!
(Good morning, are you doing well? How was your leg that was hurting, are you relieved? When you wake up, call us. We are awake, we thank God.)
Stay Black, thrive, PLEASE use sunscreen and we’ll hit your inbox next on July 15.