English Transcript of Youtube Video: ¡El Momento es Ahora: Estado Para DC! The Time is Now: Make DC a State!

Washington DC is a beautiful place.

With diverse neighborhoods, world-renowned universities, and a vibrant artistic and cultural scene.

( It has) Fabulous restaurants and a history deeply tied to the identity of the United States.

From the colorful murals of Columbia Heights to the Latin flavors that enrich our cuisine, Hispanic communities have helped shape the cultural identity of Washington.

Theater, art, and activism flourish thanks to leaders like María Gómez, Héctor Rodríguez, Sonia Gutiérrez, and Rebeca Medrano, among others, who have elevated Latino voices throughout the district.

Their contributions are part of what makes Washington unique and deserving of full representation.

Residents of Washington DC pay taxes.

We serve in the armed forces.

We serve on juries.

We fulfill all the responsibilities of U.S. citizenship, but we have no vote in the U.S. Congress.

Our local government can only act if Congress allows it.

That’s why our license plates say: “End taxation without representation.”

Does that sound familiar?

This is how we got here.

In 1801, Congress assumed total control of the District, and Washington residents lost their right to vote in federal elections.

In 1871, Congress created a territorial government, but only three years later replaced it with three commissioners appointed by the federal government, who governed Washington for the next one hundred years.

In 1964, we voted for president for the first time since 1801.

In 1971, we gained a non-voting delegate in the House of Representatives.

In 1973, Congress granted us a limited local government.

Imagine two neighbors living across the street from each other, one in Maryland and the other in Washington DC.

The Maryland resident has two senators and eight representatives in Congress fighting for funding for infrastructure, education, and jobs.

Their state judges are chosen by elected officials or directly by voters, and their governor can activate the National Guard in case of an emergency.

Now look at their neighbor in Washington DC.

They have no voting representative in Congress.

Their judges are not chosen by local leaders but are appointed by the president.

If a crisis occurs, only the president, not the mayor of Washington, can activate the National Guard.

On the same street, under the same federal flag, but one has a voice and a vote, and the other does not.

Today, Washington DC has more than 700,000 residents—more than the states of Wyoming or Vermont.

Our economy is larger than that of several states.

We pay more federal taxes per person than any other state, and we are a place with one of the highest rates of civic participation in the country.

Washington can become a state through an Act of Congress.

It does not require a constitutional amendment.

The Washington DC Admission Act, HR 51, has already been approved twice by the House of Representatives.

Statehood would not eliminate the Federal District or the American capital.

The Capitol, the White House, and the National Mall would remain under federal control.

The rest would become the new state, the State of Washington, Douglas Commonwealth, named in honor of the abolitionist Frederick Douglass, a man who fought for freedom, justice, and equality.

We are closer than ever, but we need your help.

Sign the petition in favor of Washington DC statehood.

Share this message, talk to your friends and family in other states.

Ask them to call their senators and representatives and urge them to support DC statehood.

Call the Capitol at 202-224-3121 and ask to speak with your member of Congress.

When you raise your voice, it is heard.

We love Washington.

We are Americans.

We are your neighbors, and it’s time.

Time for justice.

Time for representation.

Time for Washington DC to become a state.

Washington DC deserves to be a state.

Make our voices heard.

Visit lwv.org and sign the petition.