'It's the last plantation:' Why Black D.C. Residents are Demanding Their City Become a State

'In Washington D.C., slavery actually came to an end before federal emancipation. But today, many D.C. residents argue full democracy and freedom is still out of reach. The city is now home to 700,000 people, nearly half of whom are Black. But despite living within arms’ reach of the halls of power, residents of the so-called Chocolate City do not have a voting representative in the House or the Senate. That’s because D.C. is not a state. For years, activists have been pushing for statehood; some hope to name it the Douglass Commonwealth, after abolitionist Frederick Douglass. In April, the House of Representatives approved HR-51, which if approved by the Senate, would make D.C. the 51st state. However, with strong GOP opposition, the outcome is anything but certain.  George Derek Musgrove, a University of Maryland-Baltimore County history professor, explains that statehood matters because D.C.’s current status means it’s controlled by Congress. Residents can elect a mayor and city council, but Congress oversees the city’s budget and can block laws it disapproves of. Residents can’t dictate their own affairs.'