Today, a coalition of 35 Arizona groups and organizations, led by Indivisible Arizona, sent a letter to Senator Kelly and Senator Sinema expressing support for D.C. Statehood, and calling on them to co-sponsor the Washington, D.C. Admission Act (S. 51):
“As one of the youngest states before Alaska and Hawaii, Arizonans know the privilege that comes with statehood — specifically having a seat at the table in Congress. Indivisibles and groups across Arizona are using that very privilege to call on Senator Sinema and Senator Kelly to put an end to the centuries-long political tokenization of D.C. voters,” said Liz Haskell from Yuma County Indivisible. “It’s past time the over 700,000 residents of Washington, D.C. — who contribute more federal tax dollars than 22 other states — receive representation for their taxation. If Senator Kelly and Senator Sinema are committed to bettering the lives of all Americans, they must cosponsor and pass S. 51, the D.C. statehood bill, immediately.”
“The fate of D.C. residents — a city with a plurality of Black voters — has been determined by partisan politics and is part of a centuries-long push to suppress the Black vote. My ancestors fought for the right to vote, and we’re still fighting disenfranchisement across the country — from Georgia to here in Arizona,” said Jan Counts from Indivisible Tucson Action Alliance. “Beneath fallacious arguments from lawmakers and anti-statehood advocates is the drive to undermine the power of the Black vote. Lawmakers must put the rights of the over 700,000 people who pay taxes, upkeep the country’s capital, and show up to protect them against violent white supremacists ahead of their own political interests. Indivisibles in Arizona will continue speaking up for the people living in D.C. until Senator Kelly and Senator Sinema champion S. 51 and pass D.C. statehood once and for all.”
“The spark that ignited the American Revolution was ‘taxation with no representation,’” said Ann Heitland, Chair of the Coconino County Democratic Party. “It is past time that the majority Black residents of Washington D.C. have the representation other Americans have. Republicans fear majority rule in the United States because they know the majority of Americans reject their policies.” The Executive Committee of the Coconino County Democratic Party voted unanimously to support this letter.
The letter (text here) outlines the racist history of denying the over 700,000 residents of a city with a plurality of Black residents rights to protections and representation in the federal government.
The following groups signed onto the letter:
Arizona Advocacy Network
Arizona Blue Skies
Arizona Jews for Justice Arizona
Legislative District 24 Democrats
Arizona Students’ Association
AZ AFL-CIO
AZ CD8 Indivisible
Bullhead City Indivisible
Catch Fire Movement
Chispa Arizona
Civic Engagement Beyond Voting
Coconino County (AZ) Democratic Party
Desert Progressives Indivisible
For All
Indivisible Arizona
Indivisible Phoenix
Indivisible Sedona
Indivisible Tohono
Indivisible Tucson Action Alliance
Indivisible West Phx
League of Women Voters of Arizona
Mi Familia Vota
Northwest Valley Indivisible
One Fair Wage Arizona
Prescott Indivisible
Progress Arizona
Progressive Democrats of America – Arizona
Progressive Democrats of America – Tucson Chapter
Sierra Club – Grand Canyon (Arizona) Chapter
Stand Indivisible AZ
Sunrise Movement Tempe
Wake Up & Vote
WE RISING PROJECT
Working Families Party
Yuma County Indivisible
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