[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 4870-4871]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
APRIL 16--D.C. EMANCIPATION DAY: HONOR WITH THE VOTE AND WITH STATEHOOD

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, during the next 3 days, I will be coming to 
the floor, leading up to Thursday, April 16--D.C. Emancipation Day. 
That is the day that Abraham Lincoln emancipated the slaves in the 
District of Columbia before slaves nationwide were emancipated.
  Now, no resident of the District of Columbia is a slave today as in 
1863, but at the same time, the residents of the District of Columbia 
are not as free as the other residents of our country--our fellow 
Americans. In the District
of Columbia, we commemorate D.C. Emancipation Day, not only to honor 
our forebears but to demand equal treatment from our country for the 
citizens who live in the Nation's Capital.
  Mr. Speaker, the citizens who live right here in the belly of freedom 
do not have the same rights as other Americans although they pay the 
same taxes and more taxes--I will argue tomorrow and show you the 
figures--than any other Americans. They endure undemocratic 
interference even with their local budget--a budget for which the 
Federal Government, for which the Congress, contributes not one penny--
and yet that local budget comes before this body without the Member who 
represents the local citizens--the Member whose local budget is at 
issue cannot vote.
  As astounding as those elements of statehood are, perhaps none is 
more dishonorable than the continued sacrifices of Americans who live 
in the Nation's Capital without having the same representation as other 
Americans. We are known, perhaps, in the Nation's Capital by ``no 
taxation without representation.'' If there is anything by which we 
could be better known, it is

[[Page 4871]]

by those who have fought and died since the war that created the United 
States of America, itself. Who would believe what those figures show?
  In World War I, more casualties than from three States. In World War 
II--now, this is one city of which we are speaking--more casualties 
than from four States. By the time we get to the Korean war, more 
casualties than from eight States of the Union. All of that is 
disproportionate, Mr. Speaker. Finally, when we get to the last great 
war of the 20th century, the Vietnam war, more casualties from the 
District of Columbia than from 10 States.
  Thousands have died--all without a vote--and yet D.C. citizens have 
secured the vote everywhere they have fought for their country. They 
secured the vote for the people of Iraq. They secured the vote for the 
people of Afghanistan. They secured the vote for citizens throughout 
Europe and the Mideast. But here, to this day in 2015--more than 150 
years after Lincoln freed the first slaves in the District of 
Columbia--the residents of the District of Columbia are still not free. 
They will not be free until they become citizens of the 51st State of 
the United States and until their war dead are honored as the war dead 
of other States are honored--by going to war on the vote of the people, 
including of their own Representative, coming back, and being able to 
vote themselves.
  So, Mr. Speaker, on this first day of D.C. Emancipation Week, I ask 
that the D.C. war dead be honored and that those from the District of 
Columbia who serve our Nation today be honored with the vote and with 
statehood.

                          ____________________