Why Black activists are fighting for D.C. statehood

As a kid, Demi Stratmon saw the phrase “Taxation without Representation” stamped on the license plates in her home city of D.C. Though she didn’t understand it at the time, the slogan’s stuck with her. 

Now at 21 years old, the meaning has fully sunk in. Stratmon spent last summer on the road as a youth advocate with the organization 51 for 51, a coalition of D.C. and national groups fighting to make D.C. the 51st state. She spoke with former presidential candidates, from Corey Booker to Pete Buttigieg, to urge them to support D.C. statehood.

As a D.C. resident, Stratmon must pay federal taxes but she doesn’t have a say in how Congress spends her money because D.C. residents don’t get a vote in Congress.  Read more…

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