Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker joined Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) and other Democratic colleagues on the Senate floor to discuss efforts to make Washington, D.C. the 51^st state.

WATCH HERE

Key Excerpts

“For too long, the people of this city have not had the honor, the privileges, the equal citizenship rights that so many others in every state of our Union in all parts of our democracy enjoy…This city is extraordinary place. It is a community that out numbers in fact in other states and we believe that the ideals of one person one vote, no taxation without representation, that all of these rights are being denied by fellow Americans. Where is the honor in that. Veterans and service members living here in DC , who did indeed fight for us and put their lives on the line for us; but do not have equal citizenship rights.

“Making DC a state is truly a civil rights issue, and it’s also an issue of racial justice– is DC is a majority-minority city and the people of this city deserve the same opportunity that other less populated states have to make their voices heard in Congress. This is especially urgent as we are seeing so many states around the country enact sweeping discriminatory voting laws intended to make it harder for the DC Majority-Black and Brown folks to even vote.

“Making DC a state is not just a matter of civil rights for DC, it’s about all of us because our democracy will only survive as long as it’s true representation is that of all of its people. That truly we know in this nation it has been said by greater leader before us that an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. The people of DC have made clear what they want, saying it loudly- they want full citizenship rights, they deserve the right to vote, they deserve the right to have representation. They want to be the 51^st  state. They should be the 51^st state.”