(WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser issued the following statement on the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment and Washington, DC’s ongoing fight for full equality:
“Today, as we look back on a century of progress in building a more inclusive and diverse democracy, here in Washington, DC, we reflect on the perseverance of every voting rights activist who came before us, who overcame the unique dilemma of securing their rights from the very Congress that denied them a voice and a vote.
“We urge Americans nationwide to consider that a century after the 19th Amendment was ratified, a monumental but incomplete victory for women, all 706,000 Washingtonians, including more than 350,000 women and girls, still lack voting representation in Congress.
“Less than two months ago, when the U.S. House of Representatives voted to make Washington, DC the 51st state in our nation, it was a testament to the determination and strategizing of the statehood advocates and DC residents who, for decades, have organized, educated, and refused to accept second-class citizenship. Today, we are both grateful for and inspired by all who came before us and proved true the words of Frederick Douglass – that power concedes nothing without a demand.”