"Why is statehood important for the people of D.C.? The nearly 700,000 residents of D.C. want our full voting rights, control over our own tax dollars, and the ability to govern ourselves. D.C. is currently considered a federal district, and because D.C. is not a state, the federal government is legally allowed to intervene in our lives. Members of Congress can repeal our laws and dictate how we in D.C. spend our own tax dollars. Statehood is constitutional, and granting D.C. statehood would not require any new constitutional amendments. It just requires that Congress and the president to pass a law. District residents need our friends and family in other states to pressure their representatives and senators to make D.C. the 51st state. Congress and the president must pass H.R. 51 and S. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act, to make D.C. the 51st state. Denying full voting rights to the 700,000 residents of D.C., the majority of whom are Black and Brown, is an egregious example of voter suppression happening in our country today. We also deserve to have a say in what happens in our country. Making D.C. a state would add two senators and one representative to Congress, who could represent our values and advance our needs. We are veterans, nurses, grocery store clerks, teachers, restaurant workers, volunteers, family members, and neighbors, and we deserve to govern ourselves. What happens in the D.C. council and in Congress directly affects the rights and voices of everyone who calls D.C. home. To learn more about how you can stay informed and take action, visit our website at acludc.org."