April 9, 2007
Voting Rights March: One Week and Counting
It was almost three weeks ago that Republicans helped derail legislation that would finally grant the District a voting seat in the House of Representatives. The Democratic leadership has promised to bring the legislation back to the floor next week, but even if it passes, it faces an uphill battle in the Senate and an almost assured veto from President Bush.
Short of giving up and moving en masse to Virginia and Maryland, what can District residents do? March. Next Monday, April 16 voting rights activists and supporters will march to the U.S. Capitol to demand that they finally be granted the same rights enjoyed by all Americans. Organized by a coalition of organizations, the Voting Rights March will start at Freedom Plaza at 2:30 p.m. and feature the presence of Mayor Adrian Fenty, D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, District residents and, of course, your friendly DCist writers and editors. The march will be the definitive public demand for District voting rights, and, most importantly, coincide with the city's Emancipation Day, when in 1862 President Abraham Lincoln freed over 3,000 slaves (eight months ahead of his nationwide Emancipation Declaration, no less).
We encourage all our readers to join the march -- go check with your boss right now if you need to secure the afternoon off on the 16th. Whether or not you're a District resident, this is a simple question of equal rights. DCist will field a contingent, and we'd love to have everyone along. We'll have plenty of details as the week goes on.
Voting Rights March
When: Monday, April 16, 2:30 - 4:00 p.m.
Where: Freedom Plaza to the U.S. Capitol
Who: Everyone
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as I've stated many times before, take a third of a day off for 1/3 representation....
Hmm: "Republicans helped derail" DC voting rights. Can't argue with that, but it certainly seems as if Republicans and Democrats helped a lot. Let's see if I've got the parties' perceptions of our rights correct:
Republicans - no to voting rights, yes to 2nd Amendment rights
Democrats - no 2nd Amendment rights, yes to voting rights.
Where's someone for all of us who want *all* our rights to be recognized? Maybe it's an independent -- forget Louie Gohmert, paging Joe Lieberman!
lets out at 4:30, eh? maybe you guys should throw another one of those voting rights happy hours post-rally.
Whose brilliant idea was it to hold this march on a day when 90% of District residents will be at work?
how 'bout walking out from work? Your bosses should be supportive of the issue, no? have whole schools walk out too...