Name: Sharon Anderson
Occupation: Museum Professional
Hometown: Pensacola, Florida
Tell me a little bit about yourself. How long have you lived in DC?
I moved to the Washington, DC metro area back in the early ‘80s, and I’ve been in this area, the DMV, since then, having alternated between Virginia, Maryland, and the District. My current stint as a DC resident has been since 2001.
Why did you decide to move to DC?
I was pursuing a career opportunity. I had a chance to work at a nonprofit that was involved with the community development block grants and wanted to make certain that communities — particularly very small, Black-managed communities in the country — were able to really participate in the programs, so we were doing technical assistance.
What do you love most about living in DC?
I really appreciate and enjoy the variety — the variety of people who are here, the fact that this is an international community because of the diplomatic corps that resides here, the fact that there’s a diversity within the population. There’s so much to do when it comes to cultural institutions — of course I make a big plug for the Smithsonian, as well as other organizations like the Kennedy Center — but also the community opportunities that we have with local theater, regionally and in the District; the wide variety of cuisines that are possible to enjoy; it’s just a wonderfully diverse city and has a lot of offerings. I appreciate the size of the community too, it’s just very welcoming and open.
Could you talk about your own experience being disenfranchised, or in other words, what it has been like to lose the rights you had when you were living in one of the 50 states?
I was really surprised — as I think a lot of people are who aren’t in tune with the situation here in the District of Columbia — when I moved here and realized that I did not have voting representation in Congress. It was definitely a surprise!
During my time here in the District, I’ve worked in the District government, including a stint where I was working in the office of Mayor Anthony Williams when there was a bill proposed by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and then Virginia Congressman Tom Davis, which was not about statehood, but it was to give the District voting representation. Being in Mayor Williams’s office, there was discussion about passing that legislation — the pros and the cons — and I think probably that experience is where it really struck me the hardest, because Mayor Williams was visiting with congresspeople and there were folks who really sympathized and empathized with what we were going through and then there were those who really weren’t interested, and it really bothered me, because it was this unwillingness to address what is a lapse in democracy in our country, and I was really just struck by that.
What does achieving statehood mean for you?
It is the recognition of the residents of the District of Columbia of having full citizenship, and that is long overdue. It is the fact that we have a say in the major issues that are facing this country, that we have that full voting representation. It is also a recognition of relieving the unfairness of having Congress intervene in our local matters as we have seen recently. It is the removal of us being treated as political pawns by people in Congress who have no real interest in the District, no real knowledge about us, and just want to take a stance that they run on in their home district — that to me is the biggest issue and the largest injustice when it’s measured through the years of how this city has been treated as a political pawn — to be able to cast that behind us would be momentous.
What do you think needs to be done to get closer to achieving statehood?
I am a strong believer in helping to educate and make people more aware. I personally try to do this — I have conversations with family and friends to help them understand what’s going on. Every now and then I have my email rant where I send out messages to a variety of folks to say ‘look at this injustice’ and to basically highlight what this means. I think it is that personal advocacy, to have those conversations with our various circles, and I think it’s also not just my political rants, but also just to talk about who we are, because unfortunately so many people, when they think of Washington, DC, they only think about the federal government, the monuments — they don’t get that full view like we were talking about earlier of a vibrant community that like every municipality in this country has its ups and downs, its challenges, its victories, that’s just the nature of life. It’s really trying to help people understand and broaden their understanding of the District of Columbia and the people who live here.
I’ll go back to the comment I was making about when I was working in the office of Mayor Anthony Williams —when he was the president of the National League of Cities, he hosted a board meeting in the District of Columbia. One of the things that he did during that board meeting was to provide opportunities for those coming from across the country to see the District beyond the National Mall and say ‘look at our neighborhoods.’ One of the things that I also appreciated while I was staffing some of his visits to other states where he would do keynote addresses to other members of the National League of Cities is that he would speak to that — he would encourage them to visit the nation’s capital and also see some of the District’s neighborhoods. I think in a similar fashion, we all have to do that.
Is there anything else you would like to say?
I am very appreciative of the work that has been done by the LWVDC Statehood and Full Rights Committee, because they have really engaged a lot of people from across the country in that advocacy [role] I was talking about — getting people to understand who we are, to relate to us, to see us in a different light — and it has been exciting to see the different communities that have related to us in different ways.
I think too the messaging internally within the District of Columbia is very important. The series of workshops and the September conference that were held in 2022 were a good start to reach out to other organizations within the District to talk about our joint efforts and to sort of unify. I think that’s the key going forward — having that kind of partnership and engagement with other organizations to help amplify that message, just so we can more broadly share the message here within the District for people who are newcomers; I know there were plans for visiting newly elected Congresspeople earlier this year; I think all of that is very important. The bottom line: it is a multi-pronged effort that has to include internal [aspects], so that all of us are connected; recognizing that we all have different constituencies, and therefore that’s an important messaging part; working with other organizations; continuing the internal-to-the-District education of people who have lived here for generations and people who are new, to help them understand this is how this works; and to spread the message beyond our boundaries.
Name: Elinor Hart
Occupation: Writer and Video Producer
Hometown: Washington, DC
Tell me a little bit about yourself. How long have you lived in DC?
I’ve lived in DC for over 40 years — in Mt. Pleasant, which is in Northwest Washington — it’s near the zoo. I’ve been active in Statehood since 2009, and even before that, I was active in the League of Women Voters. I’ve done a fair amount of work for civil rights organizations in my writing and in my video production.
Why did you decide to move to DC?
I was living in Montgomery County [MD] and I decided I was a city person and I wanted to live in a city.
What do you love most about living in DC?
Well, it’s home. I think I like that there are many communities — I mean, there’s the Statehood community; there’s the affordable housing community, so you can connect with people who share your interests.
Could you talk about your own experience being disenfranchised, or in other words, what it has been like to lose the rights you had when you were living in one of the 50 states?
When I lived in Montgomery County, I participated in elections for representatives and senators, and of course, I can’t do that now. I even participated in some campaigns for representatives and senators, and that’s something I cannot do now. It’s not only that, it’s that I have no voice in the issues — the increasingly important issues that [Congress] handles.
I think the thing that I once looked at — and this was back in the 90s — Congress was having a debate over the DC budget and what DC should do about this and that, and I thought ‘my god why are they talking about what should happen where I live when I have no right’ — I mean who could care about what I think about where they live? I just thought it was so unfair, and so insulting.
What does achieving statehood mean for you?
It means I will have the rights that the people in the 50 states have. And I think it means that I can elect people to the national legislature — that we’ll have a voice, and I will therefore have a voice.
What do you think needs to be done to get closer to achieving statehood?
I think we need to elect more Democrats to Congress — I think that’s the way we’ll get it done.
Is there anything else you would like to say?
If we [can] elect members of Congress, it will make the congress more progressive. We also need more urban people in the U.S. Congress.
Name: Iulia Huiu
Occupation: Consultant
Hometown: Romania
Tell me a little bit about yourself. How long have you lived in DC?
My home country is Romania — I had been living in Romania until 2017 when I moved to Washington, DC. When I was born, Romania was a communist country, so I spent my childhood in communism. I basically was born not being free — in a constrained environment that limited not only what was possible, but how you saw yourself as a human being: what you can say, what you can’t say, what you learn in school, how you need to behave. I didn’t know that I didn’t know how freedom [looks]. I was still very young when the Romanian Revolution happened, and when the Berlin Wall fell, and [when] communism fell, and I grew up in the transition from communism to democracy, from an authoritarian regime to a democratic regime. It was this experience that sparked my passion for politics, for democracy and freedom.
I remember thinking when I was a child that I wanted to be like those people who fought against the communist dictatorship, who stood for democracy, who were willing to sacrifice themselves for freedom. I was inspired by the historical events that led to the fall of communism and the people who made it possible. So basically, that’s how I started studying politics and getting involved in politics. I believed this was the best way I could contribute and I could help empower other people. I studied Classical Languages (Latin and Ancient Greek) and Political Science, I have an MA in Political Science and one in Public Administration, and I am about to finish my PhD in Political Science. I also became a political analyst and strategy consultant. I am specialized in creating and implementing strategies, and now I have my own consulting business. In Romania I worked at all the levels of the government, in all the major political institutions. My first job was at the Romanian Parliament as a parliamentary expert; later on, I was a personal advisor to the Romanian Prime-Minister for 4 years. I was a research expert for an institute studying Romanian communism and I also published two books covering the history of post-communist Romania — they are actually available at the Library of Congress. Before moving to DC, I was State Advisor to the President of Romania on strategy and communication. I was his strategist and speechwriter back in the 2014 electoral campaign. Our whole campaign — the whole concept around the campaign — was transforming what was possible in Romanian politics and for the people in Romania. And yes, by that time Romania had become a solid democracy, but my entire journey has been around the same commitment. That’s, in a nutshell, my story. Moving to the United States was very inspiring and in line with my passion for democracy.
Why did you decide to move to DC?
It’s a dual answer. I moved to DC as a diplomat first. Starting in 2017, I was a diplomat with the Embassy of Romania to the US for five years. Part of my role was political analysis and covering American politics, as well as advancing the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the US. After I finished my assignment at the embassy, I really had to look at what was the next step for my future, where I could make the biggest difference and where I would be able to contribute through my expertise to further promoting democracy and to empowering people. Washington, DC was the natural choice.
That’s my professional reason, but there’s also a personal reason. I fell in love with the city and what it represents, I fell in love with the people here … I do feel this is a place of opportunities — anything you are committed to, you can find a group of people, a community, here to fulfill that goal. Anything you are passionate about, you’ll find it here. I love this place and I love the people here. I’ve always felt [at] home here.
What do you love most about living in DC?
There are many things. I’ll start with the Lincoln Memorial, [which] is one of my favorite places. Every time I was challenged by something, I always went to walk there. It was a way to remind myself of what I stand for and why I am here. It’s not easy to move from one country to another, to be away from family, but every time I walk by the Potomac to the Lincoln Memorial and the National Mall I get moved and inspired. I love this place, and this is where I can fulfill my dreams.
I love that [DC] is clean and green. Sometimes I just walk on the streets in my neighborhood and people pass by me and say ‘hello’ and we exchange a couple of words. When I was watching the congressional hearings about DC — I was in person for one and then I watched the others online — [there was] this question coming up [about] what neighborhoods are not safe and you wouldn’t recommend going to. I’m thinking ‘what are they talking about?’ Did they ever spend time [walking] in the streets of the city to see its beauty, to meet its people and say hello to them? Did they ever go to the grocery store? Did they ever walk on Rock Creek or go to Navy Yard? For me, this is such a beautiful and inspiring place.
This is also such a diverse and inclusive place, it makes you a better person. It makes you a better and more accepting and more generous human being. There is a place for everyone in DC — everybody is free to be the way they are, this was my experience from the moment I came to DC almost seven years ago. It doesn’t matter where you come from, DC makes you see that there is a bigger world out there. A world of different people, who can be together, work together, respect each other, and build a powerful community.
What does achieving statehood mean for you?
For me, DC Statehood is like the last missing piece — maybe not the last, but one of the missing pieces [in terms] of building a more perfect union. I shared with you at the beginning my story and why this matters to me, because in Romania, people died in 1989 to have voting rights and democracy. Romanian people always had the U.S. as a model, and they still do that, in terms of democracy, civic rights and human rights. I can say this helped Romania build up after communism — having the partnership of the U.S.
I see DC Statehood not as a political or electoral issue, not even as a constitutional issue, but just [as] a fundamental, basic democracy issue. There are 700,000 citizens following their citizenship obligations — not just paying taxes, but in terms of their relationship to the state, to the government — but they do not have representation in Congress. They do not have a voice in the legislative body itself. Having full representation in Congress shouldn’t be seen as a political or a partisan subject, but it should be embraced by both sides. At least debating on it should be taken out of the ongoing partisan divide.
What do you think needs to be done to get closer to achieving statehood?
I think there is some momentum now, in regards to DC Statehood. I want to acknowledge here the individuals, the organizations, and all the groups that put their energy and efforts into
supporting Statehood for DC and justice for DC citizens. You have the League of Women Voters of DC, who [are] very committed to that; you have DC Vote; you have the DC Democrats — you have a whole range of organizations that are working to make a difference, to have their voices heard, and to have DC be a state.
But what I see needed is to shift the approach. If you look at the way we talk about DC Statehood, it’s more something we hope to achieve in the future, but we don’t know when. There is always this ‘towardness’ and uncertainty. While there is some momentum for DC Statehood, there is no time by when to achieve it — there isn’t at least a prospective timeline. I am concerned that we would end up stuck into this logic of postponing and waiting for the right circumstances to align, and they won’t.
My thinking was, what if we shifted from this [perspective] to declaring a bold, courageous objective? Standing in a future and relating to it as [if] it’s already achieved … I think we need to give DC Statehood a timeframe, inside of which to coordinate all the resources and efforts and energy. Of course, inside of that future, there are lots of milestones to be fulfilled, but we are carving out our own future, rather than waiting for something to happen or for better circumstances. This is my take. I would say 2026 [could] be the year when U.S. citizens living in DC have full representation in Congress. Looking backwards from that moment, we can map out what needs to happen and what are the steps. I believe this approach would shape all our actions more effectively and would give a better direction to the DC Statehood endeavor. The history of this country is made up of those moments when something was spoken into existence and created a new reality. I don’t see why we shouldn’t apply this for Washington, DC, for DC Statehood, to inspire everybody, and bring everybody into it.
Is there anything else you would like to say?
I really think DC Statehood is doable, it’s possible, it can be done. I think gathering stories and sharing real stories of different people will contribute to a bigger conversation about DC Statehood. Like I said, it’s not a political issue. Talking to people in DC can make this subject more personal and relatable, can take it out [from] the legality and constitutional [aspects] and put it into the human perspective.
I also think in the end everything boils down to DC Statehood, including safety in the city, the court system, equal justice, rights — it all comes down to DC Statehood. Every local debate we have about DC should be about DC Statehood. The people here elect their representatives — their local Council— and if citizens don’t like the local policies, people will vote them out of office and choose somebody else. This idea that Congress can impose on the DC local Council how to manage the city just doesn’t work — it’s inconsistent with the very idea of self-governance. People will decide — if they don't like the local policies, they will choose somebody else.
There’s one more aspect to it. I want to address the politics of DC and the idea that DC Statehood means two more Democrats in the Senate. DC Statehood means two senators representing the people of the District of Columbia. Any party who wants those seats in the Senate, should propose good candidates who can persuade voters and represent their interests and concerns. Rather than denying representation in Congress to the US citizens living in DC, just because they may vote for the opposing party, change something in your way of doing politics, embody values and propose policies that would appeal to voters!
Last but not least, I want to say I am very grateful to live in DC. Thank you for the opportunity to share my story.
Name: Jake Maccoby
Occupation: Speechwriter; Runs communications consulting firm
Hometown: Washington, DC
Tell me a little bit about yourself. How long have you lived in DC?
I was actually born in DC, but moved away when I was 3-years-old and lived overseas for awhile. I came back to DC during the summers and then came back to live here, first during the Obama administration for eight years, and then more recently, two years ago I moved back here for good.
Why did you decide to move to DC?
DC has always felt like home. I love DC — it’s also where I met my wife. I work in communications and politics and public service, so this was really a natural place for me, but I’ve always loved being here — this has always felt like my place, so I’m glad to be back for the long-haul.
What do you love most about living in DC?
I could talk about DC forever! I love the history; I love that there’s so much to do; I love the food scene; I love the architecture, the green spaces, the fact that you can see the sky; I love most of all the people — DC is such a friendly, social place. There’s so many interesting people doing cool things that they’re excited to tell you about. It’s the center of everything — it’s where everything happens. But it’s also a place like any other that has cool neighborhoods, great stuff to do, and a culture that’s all its own. I have loved living here, and I’ve certainly loved being back here.
Could you talk about your own experience being disenfranchised, or in other words, what it has been like to lose the rights you had when you were living in one of the 50 states?
It’s not great! I’ve been disenfranchised twice — once when I moved here during the Obama administration and then again just a couple of years ago — and it’s rough. I worked on President Obama’s campaign, and then was in the Obama administration at the Department of Justice, and during both of those experiences, you’re making arguments about democracy and opportunity and justice and the basic fundamental rights that everyone in the United States should be entitled to, and then you have no representation — you have no opportunity to have a meaningful voice in the direction of the country. It’s a rough thing to experience — it’s rough for someone like me— I’ve been interested in politics and policy for as long as I can remember, and so when you’re really focused on all of these really critical issues and you talk about democracy, you think about the idea of creating a more perfect union and all this stuff, and then to be at the center of all that and then know that because you live not far from Congress and the White House, it means that you have no representation, it means that you have no autonomy, it means you have no voice in the federal government — that’s a really tough pill to swallow, especially when you’re working in situations that are all about what America is for, what America is about, what America can do, what’s extraordinary about America. When the idea of government is ‘the name we give to the things we do together,’ and then to feel like you’re shut out of that process — you lack the ability to do the things that most other citizens of the United States can do — it’s a rough feeling.
It’s also just about autonomy. Washington, DC isn’t just the federal government — there are tons of neighborhoods and districts and areas to spend time, and people live normal lives as they do in any other part of the country — and yet because of where we live, we’re treated differently and we’re not given the opportunity to make self-governing decisions in a full and complete way. All of that is really tough — it was tough to do the first time, it was also tough to do the second time having done it before and having lived in other parts of the United States, where I did have representation, and where I did feel like my voice mattered in helping set the direction of the country.
What does achieving statehood mean for you?
Achieving Statehood is about keeping a very basic and fundamental promise — the truth is, it’s a low bar. It seems like a big thing — creating a new state — but the reality is that it is very simple. This is just about ensuring that the 700,000 people who live in this community — an area that is more populous than two other states — have a voice, the same rights as anybody else who lives just over the border in Maryland, or Virginia, or any other state. There’s no reason that we should be locked out of the democratic process in the way that we are, there just isn’t. The bottom line is that it’s a question of what’s right and what’s wrong — are we a democracy or aren’t we? Are we people who try to create a more perfect union or aren’t we? Are we people who care about representation or not? Those aren’t hard questions — they’re pretty straightforward and they’re pretty simple, and they all end up with the same answer. What you need to be able to do is really think about these questions in a way that isn’t colored by politics and that isn’t about political maneuvering, but is just about what’s right and wrong. Is it right or is it wrong for people to be denied representation? Is it right or is it wrong for people to be able to take control over their own destiny and make decisions for their own community? Is it right or is it wrong that 700,000 people in DC are shut out of the very basic decision making mechanisms that everybody across every other state has access to? It’s a pretty simple answer. It’s just about fundamental promises, fundamental rights, and doing the right thing.
What do you think needs to be done to get closer to achieving statehood?
It’s really easy for folks outside DC to ignore the situation because it doesn’t impact them in a clear and tangible way on a daily basis. What people need to be able to do is to get candidates and politicians on the record in support of DC Statehood — this needs to be an issue that people talk about, that people care about — because while it may not impact folks in a tangible way on a daily basis outside of DC, it does impact the country, it does impact the way we’re able to think about ourselves and talk about ourselves. It does impact the ability of all Americans to participate in this country — you can’t have a democracy where a big chunk of people are arbitrarily shut out just because of where they live, it doesn’t work that way. It cheapens our country. It makes us unable to talk about democracy on an international stage. It doesn’t work.
What people need to be able to do is talk to members of Congress outside of DC. If you live outside of DC, if you know people outside of DC, talk to members of Congress, talk to candidates for political office and ask them whether they’re for statehood for the District, and if not, make them tell you why not; if they are for it, make them commit to being for it, pushing for it, demanding it — that’s how we get anywhere. Ultimately, we need to get to a place where we have enough people who are on the record in Congress who are for DC Statehood, then say we have the numbers, let’s call the vote. This is what needs to happen — we need to get people to commit to being for DC Statehood, we need to get them to explain why they’re not for it if they say they’re not, and we need to support people who are for it to make sure that we get a critical mass. Most of all, we need to keep this as a part of the conversation — this needs to be a necessary policy that people talk about and care about. We talk about social issues, we talk about the economy, we talk about healthcare — there are all sorts of issues that are evergreen, things that matter to people everyday — this needs to be one of those things; make people talk about it, make people take a stand. When folks are in a position to do something about it, make them do something about it. This is all very doable, it’s not hard! We can do this, but we need people to commit to doing it, we need people to talk about it, we need people to be on the record in favor of it before we can make this thing happen.
Is there anything else you would like to say?
The bottom line is just that there is no legitimate reason to be against statehood. There are political considerations, there are angles, but there is no good reason to be against it. It’s a civil rights issue, it’s an issue of democracy, it’s an issue of right and wrong — there’s one correct side here, and statehood is it. That’s my take, but ultimately, if we’re going to call ourselves a democracy, if we’re going to look at ourselves as a democracy, if we’re going to feel good about the state of our democracy, then we need to make sure that democracy is available to everybody.
Name: Keith Forney
Occupation: Self-Employed
Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio
Tell me a little bit about yourself. How long have you lived in DC?
I came to DC out of the military — well really, the DMV — in 1990. I bought [property] in DC in the early 2000s, and I’ve been in Northwest DC since probably mid-2010.
Why did you decide to move to DC?
I was doing business in DC. I started a general construction firm in DC, and it just made sense once I made that move. I owned a pack and ship store in Maryland, but eventually I transitioned my business from the package-ship kind of stores to becoming a general contractor in DC. Once I made that move, I needed to be living here to take full advantage of the opportunities.
What do you love most about living in DC?
In terms of business, especially when you’re doing government work — with its close proximity to the federal government, where the federal dollars emanate from — there are a lot of government-based construction opportunities, both federal and state. The DC small business rules, especially when I first started, were much more advantageous to small minority businesses than anywhere in the country. Getting started, DC gave you a leg up that you didn’t get anywhere else.
Could you talk about your own experience being disenfranchised, or in other words, what it has been like to lose the rights you had when you were living in one of the 50 states?
You’re dealing with federal institutions that are not necessarily looking out for DC folks — they have their own agenda and their concern is not the concern of a DC citizen. [Members of Congress are] concerned about maintaining rights for their localities — from wherever they’re coming from — and the things they vote for are to benefit their own jurisdiction. The federal budget is one big pie so to speak, and all of the members of Congress are busy negotiating laws and spending bills and the language therein, in such a fashion as to pull as many resources into their area as possible. Creating legislation is all about compromise and compromise occurs when two or more individuals have to reach an agreement on something. If you're not a participant in the negotiation then your concerns (voice) are just ignored, because if you have no vote (voice) then those who do get to vote have no incentive to consider [your concerns] and thereby negotiate with those who do not have the right to vote. Given the fact that DC doesn't have representation that can affect laws/spending legislation, the citizens of DC are not at the table — so if the congressional representatives from other states like Georgia or Montana, or from wherever, don’t have to negotiate with a member from DC about the contents of any legislation, they have no requirement to consider the impact the legislation being considered might have on the citizens of DC. It makes a huge difference not having the right to vote. It means you don’t have to compromise with a representative of the District of Columbia. Life is full of negotiations and compromise, and one thing is for certain: if you're not at the table when it happens, you get left out almost 100% of the time.
What does achieving statehood mean for you?
It means greater opportunities for people within this jurisdiction. I’ve been fortunate — I’ve been able to move in a way that maybe some are not. The smaller that pool of resources that are available, the fewer the number of people who will have access to, and thereby be able to take advantage of, the resource pool. If it’s a bigger pool, then where you are on the food chain is a little less impactful — you don’t have to be on the top of the food chain to get some crumbs.
For young folks who are coming up, the opportunities for them to gain independence, entrepreneurial spirit, and become less dependent on a 9-to-5 and having the ability to build something moving towards generational wealth to create independence for their families for generations to come — without DC Statehood, it means there are fewer resources that will be available to help those who start out on the lower rungs to achieve success. That doesn't mean they won't achieve success, just that it'll be harder to do so. It’s not for me personally that I am concerned, but it’s for those that are coming after me — the future generations of talented youth who, but for a little assistance, could do something, create something, change something that could make a real difference in making this planet a better place where future generations could all flourish.
What do you think needs to be done to get closer to achieving statehood?
A change in the Senate makeup [and] a change in the House of Representatives’ makeup. If folks were voting for things that are in their own interest around the country, then the make-up of both the Senate and the House would be very different, because people are voting for folks who are voting for things that are ‘not good for the masses’ —it’s good for the few, but not good for the many. We as DC citizens are going to have to take more active participation in these things. For example, the Color of Change, they have [opportunities] where you can volunteer to do phone calls for Democrats — in this case, it’s going to have to be a Democratic initiative, the Republicans are just not going to ever help, at least not in the foreseeable future. For now, whether we like it or not, we’re going to have to get more Democrats in and we’re going to have to get them in other parts of the country, because it’s only the elected officials who get to vote. We’re going to have to take an active role in participating and helping get more Democrats elected, which means phone banking and volunteering. To try to [impact] the makeup of the Senate, you’re going to at least need 54 senators that are Democrats, if not more. In the House, it’s a little easier since you need a simple majority. You’re going to need, at a minimum, 54 or 55 Democratic senators who are willing to change the filibuster rules — that’s the only way that’s going to happen; the filibuster rule is going to have to go, and then you’ll need a Democratic majority in the House. Until that happens, we’re just whistling Dixie — we can cry, we can moan, we can complain — but it’s not going to change [anything], because those folks who are there now, we’re not their concern. I’m not going to say I blame them, necessarily, but at present, the legislation that’s enacted is good for the few at the expense of the many, generally speaking. Until we get enough folks voting for things that benefit the majority, the rules are not going to change. This is a matter of change in the House, change in the Senate. But it doesn't stop there — anyone we elect who has an amnesia problem once elected must be removed swiftly. Everyone elected must know there will be consequences on reneging on the reason they were sent there in the first place. It's only this kind of pain that can ensure change for the good of all is a lasting and permanent change.
Is there anything else you would like to say?
If we’re going to be serious [about this], we can be non-partisan during the daytime, but after 5, we’re going to have to get partisan. We’re going to have to engage in this process and make the change we want to see — until we’re willing to do the thing that’s necessary to make the change, we could be waiting another 20 years. Change doesn’t happen by itself — you have to force change, you have to make change happen, unfortunately that is how life is. Until we’re willing to do that in a serious way, then we’re simply hoping somebody else gives us what we want, and you know how hope works.
Name: Kelsye Adams
Occupation: Director of Programs at DC Vote and Executive Director of Long Live GoGo
Hometown: Washington, DC
Tell me a little bit about yourself. How long have you lived in DC?
I am a young activist and advocate by choice. Everyone says advocacy is my artistry, so I like to intersect politics and culture to make moves for various different issues, one specifically being DC Statehood, that I currently work on — in a few facets, not just locally but nationally — as well as other issues that affect disenfranchised communities here in Washington, DC. I’m a graduate of Dunbar Senior High School, which was the first high school for African Americans in the country. I’m also a resident of the U Street Corridor, so I’m a proud Ward 1 resident. I’m doing a lot of work in the U Street community to uplift the idea that used to lie here, which was ‘Black Broadway,’ so I’ve been working on various efforts to bring back that unity to the community. I’m basically just a vehicle for unity in the community — that’s how I would term myself.
Why did you decide to move to DC?
After college, I did come back to DC. I just teleworked for the most part, because I was a fundraiser so we did a lot of work on the phone, and I would just travel to my office maybe once a week which was in Richmond, [about] two hours away. When a bunch of turmoil occurred in Virginia — and me being an African American woman — it led me to leaving Virginia and being more dedicated to what was going on here in DC. That was in response to the Metro PCS incident that occurred when they tried to disenfranchise the Go-Go community here in DC. I feel like I was more so pushed back to DC because of the space that I was in and me wanting to make sure that I was showing up for my people.
What do you love most about living in DC?
The thing I love most about DC is probably the opportunities that it opens the door for. With it being the nation’s capital — which is so cool — it’s just a lot going on all the time. We have a vibrant nightlife scene, we have beautiful museums, the tourist rates are pretty high, so we have a lot of things for people to do here. And it’s pretty diverse in [terms of] meeting new people. As far as residents actually living here, it [was] formerly “Chocolate City,” now, [it’s] more like a ‘vanilla bean pie.’ As far as tourism is concerned, with us being the nation’s capital, it just drives a lot of people to the city, so you get to meet people that are from different places, and you get a background of what others are going through in different parts of the country.
Could you talk about your own experience being disenfranchised, or in other words, what it has been like to lose the rights you had when you were living in one of the 50 states?
It wasn’t necessarily something that I felt as an actual [feeling] — this disenfranchisement and not having a voice in Congress — but once you start learning more about the nuances on things that people who we did elect here in the city aren’t able to move on, that’s where it opened the door to that layer of the disenfranchisement.
I worked in Virginia politically before transitioning back to DC. I’m a graduate of VCU and during my time at VCU, I became a finance intern for the Democratic Party, which led to me being the former Governor Ralph Northam’s finance director for his PAC ‘The Way Ahead.’ I feel in that space is where I was more hands-on with learning about [the priorities of] members of the state and how they bring stuff into play and into action versus going back to DC and seeing kind of the same movements being made, but the results are just vastly different, so you [ask why] and it’s literally because of that blockade of the federal government. Coming from working in Virginia, the realization of not having that voice and not having that anchor like a Tim Kaine and a Mark Warner that Virginia has — and not having anyone at all here in DC — on a national level, makes the city not show up at its best and it’s more so, again, because of that lack of being able to make your own laws.
What does achieving statehood mean for you?
I know it might seem like a boring response, but it really just means an actual voice in Congress. I say that so lightly because the voice is also just the first step. Again, working with Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, I’ve seen what having seniority in different committees looks like, and just being involved in the congressional conversation for so long, puts Virginia in a different place than DC would be in, because DC would be new to the conversation. Then the next go would be to build that reputation of what the need looks like for the DC members of Congress.
Generally speaking, it is a voice — at minimum, we can at least get a voice. I think that is the basic fundament of democracy. It’s just unfortunate that we’re the only nation’s capital in the world whose residents don’t have a voice in the democracy [and] making decisions for the nation. We’re disenfranchising over 700,000 people who actually live here for the same reasons that we’re [providing] support to other places. The actual voice seems like something so light, but it’s so meaningful when you’ve been blocked out of the conversation, for not just some time, but the entire time.
What do you think needs to be done to get closer to achieving statehood?
It’s blasphemy that the last vote before the last disapproval resolution was 86-14. I don’t want to embarrass us as DC, but we know how many Democrats are in the Senate — there’s more than 14 of them, so that vote should have looked differently. If the Democrats would step up and really support the issue, I feel the rest of the country would — as patrons and citizens — see it as an issue and then would want to foster more support around it. I believe the current situation that we’re in, is hopeless. If you can’t even rely on the party who’s endorsing this as an issue and [championing] it and bringing in that change, but as soon as something occurs [they’re] disapproving it, that’s literally the complete opposite of what it would look like if we had voices in Congress.
The first layer is going to be either for the Democrats to step it up or DC residents to just not show up so democratically. Either way, the democratic system of the country, where the Democrats are making it seem like they’re going to support x issue but not, is the ultimate issue, because if you’re not going to show up for us, there’s literally no way we can rely on anybody else to show up for us. If that means we need to take another approach to this, then that means we need to take another approach. It’s just not clear that the Democrats are supporting DC Statehood. They say they are, but then again, this disapproval resolution — mind you, I majored in political science [and] never heard of a disapproval resolution — they’re saying it hasn’t occurred in thirty years; I feel like even if it happened thirty years ago, it still should have been in a textbook — it wasn’t! The whole idea of disapproval resolutions not occurring anywhere else and they only affect residents of Washington, DC doesn’t seem democratic at all. Again, the Democrats are going to have to step it up for me to feel at least a little bit hopeful about the current [situation] the Statehood fight is in. I always say that we’re no longer asking, we’re demanding, but to make this demand make sense, we still need the people who say they’re on our side to be intentional about being on our side.
Is there anything else you would like to say?
I do want to mention something about artistic activism as far as where Statehood is going. I feel like the use of artistic activism is becoming a huge vessel for success for what that fight looks like. I feel like the influence that we’re building from artistic activism approaches we’re taking is building a bigger supporting audience for DC Statehood.
Name: Miriam Gusevich
Occupation: Former Professor of Architecture; Currently works independently on architecture and public art projects
Hometown: Havana, Cuba
Tell me a little bit about yourself. How long have you lived in DC?
I was born in Havana; I grew up under communism, with no democracy and no right to vote. My family and I came to the United States in 1968 — I was a teenager — and we became American citizens as soon as we could. We came as political refugees, which is important, because we had Green Cards from the beginning — we were very fortunate. I just want to reiterate that I’m very proud to be a citizen, and I treasure the privileges of voting.
I’ve lived in many parts of the United States — in New York, in St. Louis, Milwaukee, Chicago, Boston, Miami — and I moved to Washington, DC 26 years ago in 1998.
Why did you decide to move to DC?
I came to be a professor of architecture. I was first at the University of Maryland, and then I was recruited to go to Catholic University. I taught there from 2000 to 2020, for twenty years. I was a tenured professor.
What do you love most about living in DC?
As an urban designer, I believe that DC is one of the great cities of the world. Since I’ve been here for the last 25 years, it keeps getting better. It’s fabulous how much more vital, how much more diverse the city is, how many more young people are choosing to live here. I have always appreciated how international the city is, and the variety and diversity in every possible sense. People do things here they could never do anywhere else, and that’s always fascinating.
I also love how green the city is, and how beautiful — architecturally and urbanistically —and how memorable — it’s just a very beautiful, memorable place. I also love the broad range of culture and institutions — all the arts, all the museums, the music, the free zoo, which is a gift, plus all the parks. I hike regularly at Rock Creek Park— I actually live right next to it. I feel very privileged to live where I live, and that the park is right here, and anybody can walk there. I love seeing people with their children and their dogs, and I am a great believer in public space —I’ve pretty much dedicated my life to public art and public space. So I think Washington is just a treasure trove of wonderful public spaces.
When we first came to the U.S. with my family, we moved to New York. My parents stayed there until they moved here, and they were pretty elderly by then. People treated them so sweetly. People welcomed them with such open arms, and made them feel at home. They were newcomers, and I feel they were welcomed here in a way that they never were welcomed in New York. People talk about New York — how diverse it is — and that’s true, but people are not that friendly. In Washington, they’re really friendly and genuinely open, that’s a very special quality the city has. If you’re coming as a tourist, you might not understand it or realize it; living here, it’s really a very special quality of the city.
When you are in other parts of the country, Washington is so far away. People get a very distorted image of who we are and what we do. This was the case in the 90s when all they talked about was the crime. The press sometimes doesn’t do us justice in terms of portraying the city — it’s either Capitol Hill or a bunch of criminals running around. When people come to visit, they’re amazed. It’s wonderful to live here. We have so much to offer.
Could you talk about your own experience being disenfranchised, or in other words, what it has been like to lose the rights you had when you were living in one of the 50 states?
Of course it’s very frustrating not to have effective representation. I get very angry whenever members of Congress usurp our rights and impose laws on us that really do not represent the will of the people. It’s outrageous that we are treated as if we’re non-citizens. It's not right, it’s racist — don’t get me started— it’s very, very unfair. We should be like any other citizen in the United States.
It’s great when we have demonstrations and acts of public participation that are nationwide. It is a privilege to live here and be able to be active — I loved the Women’s March; hated that Trump got elected, but I loved that there was tremendous solidarity. I treasure it and I don’t take it for granted. Many Americans don’t understand. When I first came to the United States and there were demonstrations against the Vietnam War, I was amazed that people could even conceive of protesting, [and] felt free to speak openly. As a citizen, I believe the rights of free speech and being able to dissent are very valuable, but not having representation in Congress means that we really don’t have a voice where the institutional decisions are made. We have the voice to protest, but we don’t have the voice to impact decision-making.
The city gets hijacked by dreadful interests that use us as scapegoats. If people in Oklahoma want to carry guns, we wish them good luck, but I surely don’t want guns here. I just came from Florida; I’m appalled by what’s happening there. I surely don’t want guns in my city, and I frankly don’t want them in the Halls of Congress either. We deserve a vote where decisions are made; recently the DC Council voted and Congress got involved and started messing around with the decisions we made —Don’t they have enough to do? I think that was outrageous. They don’t do that to Maryland or Virginia.
What does achieving statehood mean for you?
It means full citizenship — respecting our rights. We’re entitled to rights under the Constitution, but they are not being respected. We have the right to protest, but we don’t have the right to vote for our representatives. We deserve full participation in our democracy.
What do you think needs to be done to get closer to achieving statehood?
We need to keep organizing and build coalitions with citizens of goodwill all over the country. My friend Barbara organized Quilts 4 DC Statehood— it was a very good way for people to reach out for each other. We also need to reach out to people in Congress, they need to understand that they need to support our rights.
Is there anything else you would like to say?
I’ve lived here for 25 years; DC Statehood has been a very long fight. My hope is in young people — they can make a difference. We need to support young people because they have the right ideas —they understand what the key issues are. I hope DC Statehood happens in my lifetime. And hopefully soon!
Name: Dr. Patrick Scallen
Occupation: Editor of Washington History Magazine; Adjunct Professor at American University and Georgetown University
Hometown: Detroit, Michigan
Tell me a little bit about yourself. How long have you lived in DC?
I have lived in DC for almost 20 years now. I came here in 2003 on a Greyhound bus with a couple of backpacks and a duffle bag. I wanted to do something on U.S.-Latin American relations and was sucked into a Ph.D. at Georgetown in Latin American history, then ended up doing community history, because I had lived and worked in Mt. Pleasant for about ten years at that point. That’s how I came to DC — just to try to find a job in U.S.-Latin American relations after having lived and worked in Central America and then having worked for the Peruvian government doing indigenous affairs in the Andes Mountains. That’s what brought me to DC, and I’ve been here ever since.
Why did you decide to move to DC?
I decided to move to DC because the only jobs in U.S.-Latin American relations were in DC. I was in Detroit applying for jobs and realized that I’d be in a much better strategic position if I were in Washington, DC. That’s why I hopped on a bus, packed a couple of backpacks, and landed here. Like a lot of people in their 20s when they come to DC, I didn’t expect to be here [for this long] — who knows? I had no expectations. I’ve grown roots and have settled in. Now I don’t see myself going anywhere any time soon!
What do you love most about living in DC?
What I love most about living in DC is that it is a small town that masquerades as a big city. This comes from where I grew up — I grew up in a big city (in Detroit), but in a smaller community inside that, right outside the city, but still very much engaged with the city of Detroit.
The community, specifically the community I found when I moved into Mt. Pleasant — which is where I still live, and where I’ve lived for the entirety of my time in DC — was something unique and something very special. It was a multicultural community, and I had come from living in Latin America, so I was thrilled with the potential to speak Spanish. I was thrilled with the idea of interacting with folks who came from the countries I had lived in — I’ve lived in Central America and Peru — and there were lots of Peruvians when I first ended up in DC and lots of Central Americans.
I also found the city to be a very welcoming city. People were friendly, it was easy to get to know people, especially in your 20s. It was not a very regional place — there are people from all over the world; there are people from all over the country. I had never lived in a place so cosmopolitan — I had lived in the Midwest, in diverse areas in the Midwest, and I had lived in New Orleans after that, which is also a diverse city in many respects — but DC had a kind of pulse that neither of those cities had. It was full of lots of young, idealistic, intelligent, driven, ambitious folk who wanted to change the world for the better. That was incredibly fun and gave me a lot of life, and I fit in quite well with those folks.
As time has progressed, I’ve found different things that I like and have fallen in love with the city all over again, because I’ve been introduced to communities through my work here — communities I never really would have met before — and communities who have been in DC for generations, and so have been able to deepen my appreciation for the city and the multiplicity of ethnic, racial, socioeconomic groups that make up this city. And where they’re coming from, and how they got here, and how they’ve managed to carve out a place for themselves. That’s something that’s been humbling for me as I’ve stayed here longer.
Could you talk about your own experience being disenfranchised, or in other words, what it has been like to lose the rights you had when you were living in one of the 50 states?
When I moved here from Michigan, I kept my Michigan driver’s license, because I didn’t have to get a DC one [since] I wasn’t driving in DC. I kept my Michigan residency, I believe, for the first eight years I was here, because I wanted to be able to vote and I wanted to have a say in civic affairs, and I wanted [to have] a senator and representatives. I was a resident of Michigan solely because I wanted to be able to vote for the local judges and vote for the local city council — which I could do in DC as well— but more importantly, vote for my state and U.S. representatives. That was a strategic move on my part — I was very plugged into Michigan politics, my dad was plugged into Michigan politics — and I wanted to be able to have a voice, and I knew that in DC I wouldn’t. Even though I was living here for eight years, I was paying taxes in Michigan so I could still vote.
I think I’m reminded of this [lack of political rights] every time I talk to folks back home, whether they’re in other states in the Midwest or in Michigan, and they talk about calling their senator or representative. Their senator or representative may or may not respond, but there’s at least the potential to influence the democratic process and have a voice in a way that residents of this city don’t.
What does achieving statehood mean for you?
Achieving Statehood would put us on par and make us feel equal with the rest of the citizens of the United States. I also want to recognize folks who live in Puerto Rico, and folks who live in Guam, and folks who live in some of the other territories, who also do not have adequate representation. Statehood would mean, at the very least, having a senator and representative who represent you in Congress and who can advocate for the needs of DC’s 700,000+ people in the city.
Personally, I think I’d feel more empowered. I think I would feel more of a whole citizen. In DC, some of us feel that we are less than full citizens, because we don’t have that representation. That representation and the autonomy that would come with Statehood — whatever that autonomy would be — would make us feel more a part of the United States and on par with everyone else.
What do you think needs to be done to get closer to achieving statehood?
There needs to be a certain political alignment in national politics that hasn’t happened for a while. There needs to be a substantive thrust of grassroots activism on the local level in petitioning for Statehood. There have been pretty consistent voices calling out for Statehood over the past decades, ever since Home Rule and before Home Rule, but that national political alignment — when there has been a potential opportunity — has been shunted to the side by whatever Democratic president or the administrations of Democratic presidents for different reasons over the course of the last few decades.
Is there anything else you would like to say?
I think that whenever we talk about DC Statehood, we often forget about folks who are also U.S. citizens who do not have representation, other than [in] DC. It’s easy to focus on DC, it’s harder to talk about the folks in Guam, Puerto Rico, and other U.S. territories who are citizens and who also lack that basic representation. I always like to both recognize that and to recognize that in the same way that Puerto Rico was a colony of the United States — at least in the very beginning, after it was a Spanish colony — the lack of political representation in Washington, DC can also be seen as a vestige of colonial enterprises. That has everything to do with the fact that you had a significant African American population here, and that certain white folk in the United States didn’t want to give Black folks the means to represent themselves. Ideas of race, privilege, power, and social class are very much intertwined in this issue. It’s difficult to unpack and I often find that boiling it down to just focusing on Statehood for DC often overlooks the nuances of other folks who are also being left out. But we still have to advocate for our own statehood, so that’s the balance.
Name: Dr. Robinson Woodward-Burns
Occupation: Professor of Political Science at Howard University
Hometown: Washington, DC
Tell me a little bit about yourself. How long have you lived in DC?
I grew up here in DC — I spent my life here until I left to go to college and then graduate school, after which I came back. I was out of DC for a total of nine years of my life, but eventually I came back.
Why did you decide to move to DC?
I came back to DC, because DC is home. While many people have a choice about where they want to live, I came back to take care of my parents and to be with my friends who’ve also remained here. While leaving DC gave me some opportunities like an education, it really was never exactly a choice — I came back to DC because I wanted to be with my friends and family.
What do you love most about living in DC?
There’s a lot about DC. Often, people not from Washington think of the seat of the national government — they know fairly little about the actual people who live here, are from here, or who have made their homes here. DC has, like any city, a vibrant culture. It’s got an endemic cuisine — for example, the half-smoke, which is a type of hot dog. We’ve got a type of music called Go-go, which is not widely known outside of DC, but something that was homegrown. We also had in the 1980s a punk-rock scene, which grew out of DC and spread nationally. Like any city, we’ve got our food, our music, our culture, and these are partly the things that drew me back, but I also came to be with my friends, who I’ve known since early childhood and who decided to come back as well. I came back for my family, my parents, who are here. And I came back because it’s home — I couldn’t see myself living anywhere else.
Could you talk about your own experience being disenfranchised, or in other words, what it has been like to lose the rights you had when you were living in one of the 50 states?
When I left DC, I gained representation. For the first time, I had representatives in the House and in the Senate. For example, when I went to graduate school in Pennsylvania, I had two United States Senators who had a fair amount of influence in Pennsylvania — also a swing state in presidential elections, which is fairly important, although DC does have the presidential vote thanks to the 23rd Amendment. What I found was that having a representative in the House and a representative in the Senate was a way that I could have my voice heard — if you need to contact your local government, you can do it through the office of your Senator or your House member. A lot of that is missing in the District of Columbia. When I came back, I lost my representation in the U.S. Senate. To the extent that I lost House representation, I came back to a District where we have a delegate who does not have full representation.
Separately, there’s an issue of Home Rule. DC lacks budgetary autonomy; right now we see members of the U.S. House pushing to roll back laws passed by the District Council by passing budget riders, which could make Democrats in Congress — in order to pass nationally necessary budget measures — actually roll back forms of District Home Rule. We saw this on DC’s crime reform bill — the District tried to rewrite a 100-year-old criminal code, which, though was necessary and largely apolitical, got politicized by Republicans in the U.S. House, and ultimately was overturned. When I lived outside of DC, I had legislative Home Rule, I had that representative function that I lost when I came home. It’s important to remember not only the function of having representatives in Congress, but also having legislative Home Rule, which can affect your life in concrete ways.
There have been a few moments since I came back in which I saw living in DC as distinct and different from living in another jurisdiction or state that has full representation. I’ll give you three moments. One, in 2020 during the Black Lives Matter, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor protests: Donald Trump mobilized the National Guard against DC residents who were engaging in their Constitutionally-protected right to assembly. He had DC National Guard helicopters flying low over residents to disperse them. In most states, the National Guard is controlled by the governor, and few governors would actually employ the National Guard against their own voting constituency, but because DC doesn’t have representation, people throughout DC saw the Guard deployed in ways that were hostile to Washingtonians.
A second example: On January 6th, the Department of Justice under Donald Trump actually refused to deploy the National Guard in defense of the United States Capitol until it was too late to prevent rioters from breaching the Capitol. Again, were DC a state that had its own governor, we could see the National Guard deployed quickly to protect assets belonging to residents, to protect even nationally important buildings like the U.S. Capitol. DC’s denial of control over its National Guard actually endangered national security, and that was something I was really surprised to see when I moved back to DC — that DC lacked autonomy over its National Guard.
Those are kind of specific examples, but those happened fairly soon after I came home, so those are the things that come to mind. A third thing is again the DC crime bill — DC had a criminal code that was about 100-years-old. It needed to be updated, partly because many of its references were antiquated. This was largely an apolitical process that had been happening by committee for many years. What I saw when I moved back was that Republicans in the House — in order to posture for their own constituencies — many of them chose to vote down this criminal code revision in order to appear tougher on crime. They did this not because they were seeking to represent the interests of District residents, but rather because they wanted to gain repute with their constituency back home.
What does achieving statehood mean for you?
Statehood means a lot of things. The most basic thing that Statehood allows is full representation or autonomy. DC pays higher per capita taxes than nearly any other state or jurisdiction in the United States, and yet, we lack legislative representation. As a native Washingtonian, in my time living here, I’ve never had full representation in the House or representation in the Senate. This is something most people take for granted, but something I have wanted my whole life — the right to have a vote.
The second thing it gives us is legislative Home Rule, the ability to make rules for ourselves. Again, something most people take for granted, but in DC, we see occasionally our laws are overturned, and even when they’re not overturned, we often have to write laws in anticipation of the possibility that they could be. I can give you a long list of the kinds of laws that either have been overturned or the kinds of laws that we have to carefully craft so that they won’t be overturned. What this means is that the people I vote for — the District of Columbia Council — can’t actually make laws that reflect my own wishes.
The third thing to think about is DC’s limited form of representation — we have a delegate in the House who doesn’t have full voting rights, we have a council and a mayor — these things are guaranteed only by statute and can be taken away at any point. In fact, we’ve seen this if we look through DC’s history — there have been moments in which District residents have been granted measures of autonomy, only to see them removed. It’s worth bringing that up now, because as we see members of Congress, especially in the U.S. House, are increasingly hostile to the District’s government, and some have even proposed removing the District government entirely, which would leave someone like me permanently disenfranchised.
What do you think needs to be done to get closer to achieving statehood?
We’re closer than we’ve ever been to Statehood. The District has had a long history of pushing for Statehood, coming close, then falling just short at various periods in its history. In the last Congress, we were only two or three votes short in the U.S. Senate, and the reason for that is because right now, the Senate is narrowly divided and because Democrats see the possibility in DC of two additional Democratic senators. Now, there is no guarantee District residents would vote for Democrats, and the right of District residents to vote should not be conditional on partisan politics, but Democrats right now seem to be taking more seriously this problem, in part because it benefits the party nationally. What this means is that to get us across the finish line for Statehood, we need only a few more votes in the U.S. Senate and a few votes in the House — Republicans have a very narrow U.S. House majority and Democrats need only one or two extra votes in the Senate in addition to the current majority to push a Statehood bill through. We’re closer now than we have been in any other period in our history to getting Statehood, it just means we need a few more votes in both houses of Congress.
Name: Sophie Oberstein
Occupation: Corporate Trainer, Author, and Adjunct Professor at New York University
Hometown: New York, New York
Tell me a little bit about yourself. How long have you lived in DC?
My husband and I are empty nesters — we moved to DC a few months before the pandemic, so it’s been about four and a half years, although it doesn’t feel like it since it’s been such a strange time to move to a new city. We moved here for my husband’s work, which is in the Virginia suburbs, and my work is portable, so it just made sense to relocate here. One of our children is still in New York City, and one is working as a lift operator in Vail right now.
Why did you decide to move to DC?
It was entirely because of my husband’s job that we moved to DC.
What do you love most about living in DC?
DC is a beautiful city — a nice walking city. We live in the Logan Circle area. Compared to some other cities, it’s light-filled, it’s clean, and every time you turn a corner, you see an embassy or a monument. The other thing I appreciate, particularly as a transplant, is that it is a destination city, so people come here to visit their children who are in local universities, or they come here for work purposes, and we get to see them.
Could you talk about your own experience being disenfranchised, or in other words, what it has been like to lose the rights you had when you were living in one of the 50 states?
It’s very interesting — I appreciate that you’re asking about this experience. Before I moved here, I sort of knew intellectually that DC residents were not represented, and didn’t necessarily have a say in certain things that affect their lives, but I didn’t really experience that at an emotional level — it is a feeling of disenfranchisement as you say — it’s something that’s hard to put into words when you’re just thinking about it, as opposed to living it.
I mean one of the main things that sort of happens every day — because I was politically active in New York, and I had a kind of grassroots group of women who did political actions together — is that I’m still on a lot of mailing lists. Everyday I receive requests to fill out a petition to send to my representatives, and often when I try to sign those petitions, I’ll get a response saying, ‘sorry, we don’t have anybody to send this to,’ because we just flat out don’t have anybody representing us. I mean, there are people who are representing our views, but they don’t have an official vote. We have no vote on how our taxes are spent, even though we pay more federal taxes than people in something like twenty-two other states.
I’ve found that a couple of times since I’ve lived here, there have been incidents where, in other states, a governor could call up the National Guard to protect us, and here in the District, the mayor can’t activate the National Guard in an emergency. And even on a local level, we’ve seen some crime increases in the neighborhood. It’s just related to the fact that some of our criminal cases are held to be prosecuted by federal prosecutors who are quite busy with other things right now, so there are some criminals who return to the streets who might not have been able to in other states. And then on top of that, it’s also ironic because I can see the White House from my corner, and I can see the Washington Monument, so I feel like I’m in the heart of where decisions are made, and yet I’m so removed from it, because I really can’t even walk down and speak to any representatives on my own behalf. And it’s silly things like trying to order items from some websites that have a required field to enter your state but don’t have DC on the list!
What does achieving statehood mean for you?
It just means the citizens of DC — who are citizens of the United States, like anybody else — will get to have a voice. Some of the arguments against this are silly — we have more residents here than there are in some other states, like Vermont and Wyoming. Some of the reasons I’ve heard for not making us a state are either blatantly false or just clearly political. Achieving Statehood is really just about what’s fair.
What do you think needs to be done to get closer to achieving statehood?
I think it really needs to continue to be amplified as a national issue. We residents can ask over and over again, but we don’t get very far. It needs to be citizens in states who have a voice telling their elected leaders that this is an issue that matters to them like any other issue. It’s really keeping a spotlight on it, sharing stories like mine with people who don’t really get what it means on a day-to-day basis.