D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton brought a resolution to the House of Representatives that would recognize May 1, 2023, as “D.C. Statehood Day.”
In a news release on Thursday, Norton said that “highlighting the District’s need for statehood, as early and as often as possible, only serves to help us reach statehood sooner, and I introduced this resolution to name May 1st, or 5/1, ‘Statehood Day’ for this very reason.”
As a part of this resolution, Norton also reaffirmed her longstanding and passionate call for the passing of the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, which would make D.C. the 51st state in the union.
“The single idea of ‘taxation without representation’ that gave rise to the American Revolution still resonates today,” Norton said. “D.C. residents pay the highest federal taxes per capita and more federal taxes than 23 states, and the District has a bond rating higher than 35 states. D.C. residents have fought and died in every war since the Revolution, and they deserve voting representation in Congress and full local self-government.”
In a tweet, Norton said she is speaking at a news conference calling for the designation on Monday at 11 a.m.
Norton has long fought for the District to have statehood, including asking President Joe Biden to switch license plates to ones bearing the phrase, “Taxation Without Representation,” to show support for the cause earlier this year.
Though the resolution hasn’t been passed in Congress, the D.C. Statehood PAC announced it would recognize Monday as the first annual D.C. Statehood Day last month, according to a news release on its website.
“Our country was founded on the ideal that government without the consent of the governed is illegitimate, yet that is precisely what we have here in DC,” D.C. Statehood PAC Board Member Bruce Spiva said in a news release.
“On 5.1, we call on all Washingtonians to raise awareness of the issue by telling the country why DC must become the 51st state.”
The organization called for supporters to raise awareness by discussing the topic of statehood with friends and family, wearing D.C.-themed clothes, signing its online petition and using #dcstatehoodday on social media.
Full text of Norton’s resolution can be found on her congressional website.
