NAACP, Planned Parenthood pen letter supporting D.C. statehood
The heads of Planned Parenthood, the NAACP and hundreds of prominent women of color are throwing their support behind Washington, D.C. statehood efforts, claiming the issue is one of racial equity and public health.
In an open letter to Congress released Thursday, they call statehood for the district "a matter of life and death," citing issues like inequitable vaccine availability, a staggeringly high maternal mortality rate among Black women, and limited tools for local D.C. politicians to combat these problems. Signatories included Alexis McGill Johnson, head of Planned Parenthood Federation of America; Akosua Ali, president of the NAACP Washington, D.C.; Representative Lauren Underwood of Illinois; attorney and television personality Star Jones; and more than 250 other women leaders in fields like medicine, public policy, community activism and education.
"It has always been morally reprehensible to deny the people of Washington, D.C. representation in our democracy," said the letter, which was shared with CBS News ahead of its publication. "People who live in Washington, D.C. are being denied the autonomy to build their own health care systems and make their own choices about their bodies."
Signers of the letter applauded the House of Representatives for passing the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, which would establish statehood for the district, and called on the Senate pass the legislation as well, which they said would "rectify the disenfranchisement of the more than 712,000 D.C. residents, and give them control over their bodies, lives, and futures."
Last week the House of Representatives voted along party lines, would make D.C. the 51st state, with a new name: Washington, Douglass Commonwealth, a nod to the abolitionist and civil rights leader Frederick Douglass. But the legislation faces dim prospects in the Senate. In order to advance the legislation, the bill would need the support of at least 10 Republicans.
If D.C. gained statehood, it would have one seat in the House and two Senators to represent its population of about 700,000 people
Beyond federal representation, statehood would give Washington D.C. the tools to combat public health and racial equity issues that have long plagued the district, signers of the letter said. All laws passed by D.C.'s city council, including its budget, must go through a 30-day congressional review period, an obstacle that has hampered the city's ability to implement new policies. Serina Floyd, medical director of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington and a signer of the letter, said that lack of autonomy has "has put residents' health at risk."
"Statehood would give D.C. the autonomy to address public health concerns for communities of color without interference from Congress," Floyd said in an email to CBS News. Census data show about 46% of D.C. residents are Black and 11.3% are Hispanic or Latino.
Floyd noted that in D.C., the maternal mortality rate among Black mothers is the nation's fifth-highest, while that rate among White women is nearly zero. If D.C. was granted statehood, Floyd argued, the district would be able freely to create and implement policies designed to address the issue, including the Maternal Health Resources and Access Act, which D.C. city's council introduced earlier this year.
In some instances, legislation passed by D.C. politicians has been blocked by Congress, Thursday's letter said. The district's Reproductive Health and Non-Discrimination Act, which would prohibit employers from discriminating against employees based on reproductive health decisions, was effectively hamstrung by Congress when the House of Representatives passed an appropriations bill blocking the district from spending its own local funds to enforce it, Floyd said.
"This lack of autonomy has consequences for our patients," she said.
The letter argues that statehood would also help address racial inequities highlighted by the pandemic, including vaccine rollout. It points out that much of D.C.'s vaccine allotment went to federal agencies and their employees, including non-residents. According to the letter, Back residents have received 37% of the city's vaccines, but have accounted for nearly 70% of COVID-19 deaths.
"Statehood for the District of Columbia is a racial justice issue — and it's a public health imperative," the letter said.