The battle against D.C. statehood is rooted in anti-Black racism

Understanding this history helps make the case for D.C. as the 51st state

Perspective by Kyla Sommers

Kyla Sommers is author of "When the Smoke Cleared: The 1968 Rebellions and the Unfinished Battle for Civil Rights in the Nation’s Capital" (New Press, 2023). She earned her PhD in history from the George Washington University.

March 22, 2021 at 6:00 a.m. EDT

Supporters kick off D.C. Statehood Week in Washington on Sept. 16, 2019. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

It’s a big week for advocates of D.C. statehood. On Monday, the House Oversight Committee will hold a hearing on admitting the District of Columbia as the 51st state. In the past week, President Biden announced his support for it, D.C. Muriel E. Bower (D) installed 51-star flags along Pennsylvania Avenue in a display of encouragement, and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) counted down the days until the hearing on Twitter.