Rep. Norton urges support for D.C. voting rights
by Denise Rolark Barnes
Special to the NNPA from the Washington Informer
WASHINGTON (NNPA) — Voting rights for the District of Columbia made it to the floor of the Democratic National Convention in Denver when Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton opened the day’s session with a passionate speech demanding passage of the voting rights bill.
“We come to Denver as change-making Obama Democrats,” Norton said, “as we seek to change the policies that have betrayed those principles.''
Norton’s Aug. 26 remarks followed a brief voting rights video that not only introduced D.C.’s indigenous Go-Go music to the delegates, but also served as the contemporary message and theme song for the voting rights movement.
“The nation’s founders staked everything on creating a country where there would be no ‘taxation without representation’ anywhere in America. In that tradition, Democrats proudly support the vote in Congress for the 600,000 citizens of the nation’s capital,” she said
“The District of Columbia is not yet the 51st state, but no one can doubt that the revolutioneers who invented America’s most quoted national slogan did not create a new nation to get the vote, only to turn around and deny the votes to the citizens of their own capital.”
Members of the D.C. Democratic State Committee said they were proud of Norton’s remarks and were pleased to have the issue brought forth before the entire delegation and the nation at large.
“It was a great opportunity to bring to the nation the unjust way [D.C. residents] are treated,” said Kemry Hughes, DSC member. “I was really impressed with the opening that showcased our Go-Go video. I believe the music, along with our 30-second chant demanding a vote went across really well.”
“Congresswoman Norton delivered a very convincing speech as she tied in the Number One issue for her constituents,” echoed D.C. Voice Outreach Coordinator Dewitt Kinlow.
“She presented the voting rights issue not only in words, but with a video and the chants from our group of delegates that reinforced the message...People all over the world were able to see the images. All of these things may not be super-significant but added together, they provide for great weight on our issues.“
Kinlow, who has helped to deliver the voting rights message across the country on behalf of D.C. Vote, said the organization would continue to travel across the country to build a nationwide team for this issue.
“We don’t want to fight this issue alone,” he said. “If the Bush administration doesn’t want to support this bill, we will look to 2009 because we have some friends that support this issue.”
D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray described Norton’s opportunity to lead off the session with a speech on voting rights as a “real honor.”
“To have that issue brought here before these delegates before every state in the nation was incredibly important to our quest to achieve equality in respect to voting rights.”
Gray said he is “absolutely certain” that if Barack Obama is elected in January, D.C. voting rights bill will pass in the next Congress.
“We need to focus on getting Barack Obama in that president’s seat,” urged Councilmember Yvette Alexander, D-Ward 7, “and then we can focus on the Democratic Party giving us voting rights.”