DC Vote Winter 08 Newsletter

8/12/2019 DC Vote Winter 08 Newsletter

1/8

WIN TER 2 0

www.dcv oteVoice

DC City Councilmembers rally at the

Denver Mint for DC Voting Rights.

DC Votes Eli Zigas (L) meets the other A

at the Republican National Convention

DC Vote volunteers and staff have a bla

at Adams Morgan Day 2008.

Sam McCoy, DC Vote Board Member,

participates in DC Votes DC 50 TV commer

Thousands celebrate at the

Democratic National Convention.

Working to End Taxation Without Representation in the Nations Capit

From the Executive DirectorDear Friend:

DC Vote is hopeful that in 2009, headlines will proclaim, DC Voting Rights Bill

Signed by President Obama.

With the historic election of DC voting rights supporters Barack Obama and Joe

Biden, DC Vote feels more confident about achieving success than ever before.

We are greatly encouraged by the results of the November elections. We now have

two crucial allies in the White House and have also gained a number of supporters

among the newly elected members of Congress, including some who defeated

senators who filibustered the DC Voting Rights Act (DCVRA).

Longtime DC voting rights advocates are understandably anxious for a victory, and

we hear the calls from some who would like to see us pursue alternate routes to full

democracy for DC. We, too, believe that District residents deserve full congressional

voting representation and greater control over local issues. However, now is the time

to win. And, our best chance for victory is in the existing legislation, the DCVRA.

We know that we have the votes in the House and the Senate to pass the DCVRA

we already came within three votes of winning.

DC Vote, DCs elected leadership and our coalition partners understand that this

is the time for a DC voting rights victory and that the DCVRA is the right vehicle to

move forward. A voting representative in the House is a monumental step towards

full democracy for the District. Once the DCVRA passes, we will have a seat at thetable and will be able to win even greater victories for the District.

As close as we are to winning, we are not taking anything for granted. Now, more than

ever, we need your continued support.

We have a lot of work to do to educate new members of the 111th Congress and

to ensure that this critical issue gets priority consideration. We will highlight the

issue through advocacy steps like lobby days, a voting rights march and through

multi-media advertising to spread our message far and wide.

In the past two years, your engagement in this issue brought us closer to a win in

Congress than any time in the last 30 years. Please continue to support DC Vote

by joining us for our events, volunteering, spreading the word to family and friendsand by making a contribution to support the cause. Make a secure donation through

our Web site, www.dcvote.org, today.

It will take some hard work to win, but we look forward to celebrating our shared

success in 2009!

Sincerely,

Ilir Zherka, Executive Director


2/8

Voice WINTER 2008 www.dcvote.org

DC veterans gather for the

2008 DC Vote Veterans Day Rally.

Crowd listens to the Star-Spangled Banner.

am Clampitt, U.S. Navy Reservist and DC resident,

aks about his upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.

DC Veterans demand the vote!

Hundreds Gather for DCVote Veterans Day Rally

Close to three hundred DC Vote

supporters gathered on a beautiful fall

day for the DC Vote Veterans Day Rally

on November 11.

DC veterans joined DC Vote, Delegate

Eleanor Holmes Norton and the

Shadow Delegation in honoring those

who have fought and died for America.

They also called on Congress to provide

equal representation for the DC

soldiers who fight today in Iraq and

Afghanistan while being denied a vote

in Congress.

The crowd heard from a number ofDC veterans, including: Bernard Siler,

Active Duty DC Reservist, U.S. Army;

Hector Rodriguez, U.S. Army; Joe Wynn,

NABVET, U.S. Air Force; Richard Klass,

VETPAC, U.S. Air Force; Adam Clampitt,

Active Duty Reservist, U.S. Navy and

Rev. Anthony Motley, U.S. Army. All

speakers praised the hard work of

their fellow veterans and soldiers while

asking Congress to give them the vote

they deserve.

Matt Cary, President of Veterans and

Military Families for Progress, stressed

the importance of caring for our

veterans once they return home from

war and urged members of Congress

to pass legislation giving DC veterans

and their families a voice on important

Howard University Air Force Color Guard presents the DC Vote supporters at the Veterans Day Rally.

issues like healthcare. Other speaker

recited original poems and lyrics

honoring Americas veterans and

soldiers.

The event was a wonderful homage to

Americas bravest men and women an

a powerful reminder that DC residentsserve their country while being denied

basic rights at home.

Special thanks to our event co-sponsors

American Jewish Committee;

Anacostia Coordinating Council;

Common Cause; Friends of the Earth;

Greater Washington Urban League;

Metropolitan Washington Council

AFL-CIO; Public Citizen; Unite HERE

local 25; USAction; Womens Nationa

Democratic Club; ROOTS and the

National Capitol Region of Veterans

and Military Families for Progress.

DC Vote Calls on Congresto Stop Interfering withHome Rule

In an effort led by House members in

September 2008, Congress attempte

to force through legislation on a bill,the National Capital Security and

Safety Act (H.R. 6842), which would

have repealed the Districts gun laws.

DC Vote, several of our coalition

partners and local elected officials

joined the fight to prevent

congressional interference in District


3/8

Voic3 Working to End Taxation Without Representation in the Nations Capital

Tyler Lewis, Leadership Conference on Civil Ri

volunteers at the 20 08 Capital Pride Fest

Nell Schaffer, of Students for DC Vote, cha

former presidents at the 2008 Capital Pride F

Group joins to spread DC Votes messag

at the Congressional Black Caucus.

The commercial crew sets up the proper lig

for Sam McCoy, DC Vote Board MembeJewell Fenzi gets in characterfor the commercial shoot.

Camera crew shoots DC Votes commercial

for the DC 50 television network (WDCW).

governance. Nineteen of our local and

national partners signed on to our

letter to all House members, urging

them to respect local democracy for

citizens living in our nations capital.

Ilir Zherka, DC Vote Executive Director,

also responded to the bill in astatement on August 1:

Washington, DC, is home to more

than half a million, tax-paying Americans

who are entitled, like every other

American, to elect officials who act in

their interest and write local laws.

What some members of Congress are

attempting to do shows disdain for the

rights of Washingtonians.

After passing the House onSeptember 17, the bill ultimately died

in the Senate.

As Seen on TV: DC Voteon the DC 50 Network!

DC Vote has taken our message to

the DC 50 network (WDCW)! Our thirty-

second commercial spot, featuring half

a dozen of our volunteers, has reached

an audience of millions in the DC,Maryland and Virginia markets from

September to December 2008. The

commercials theme of Let Washington

Vote captures the imagery and voices

of real-life DC residents who are

affected by DCs denial of equal voting

representation. Havent caught the

commercial live on the DC 50 Network

yet? Watch it on our Web site at

http://www.dcvote.org/library/

videocwtvspot.cfm

The Outreach Round-Up:

DC Vote ReachesThousands at Local Events

In September, DC Vote staff,

volunteers, and Students for DC Vote

educated hundreds by tabling at

community festivals and events around

the District. The season was kicked-off

by the vibrant Adams Morgan Day

Festival, where DC Vote obtained more

than 300 petition signatures!

This set the pace for a successful

weekend at the National Black L.U.V.

Festival, where signs decrying Taxation

Without Representation were proudly

displayed throughout John Marshall

Park. The momentum continued at the

2008 Stone Soul Picnic where our

Let Washington Vote stickers were a

hit among our youngest supporters!

The month concluded with a joint DC

Vote and DC City Council appearance

at the Congressional Black Caucus

Foundations 38th Annual Legislative

Conference. Conference attendees

were eager to learn more about DCs

denial of democracy. Special thanks to

students, volunteers, elected officials,

community and civic leaders who

supported all of our efforts!


4/8


5/8


Council Considers TaxationWithout Representation Street

On Monday, November 24, the DC City Council considered

a bill to rename a portion of South Capitol Street, SE,

Taxation Without Representation Street, SE.

At the suggestion of longtime DC Vote supporter

John Capozzi, Councilmembers Kwame Brown, Harry

Thomas, Tommy Wells and Carol Schwartz introduced Bill

17-909, which would designate the portion of South Capitol

Street, SE, between N Street, SE, and Potomac Avenue, SE,

in Ward 6, as Taxation Without Representation Street, SE

Eugene Dewitt Kinlow, DC Vote Outreach Director, testified

behalf of DC Vote in support of the bill, noting, DC Vote fu

endorses Bill 17-909 as an important measure to highlight

the fact that DC residents pay the second highest amount federal income taxes, yet are denied the basic right to votin

representation in Congress.

On December 2, the bill passed on first hearing. A final

reading will be needed before the bill becomes law.

Earlier, in July, the Council approved a Taxation Without

Representation tax ticker. Plans are underway to have this

electronic display boardfeaturing the total dollar amount

DC residents pay while being denied voting representation

installed outside the John A. Wilson building in time for

2009 inaugural festivities.


6/8


Students for DC Vote:Busier than Ever!

Students for DC Vote has done a lot

to engage students this year, but we

couldnt do it without the help of our

fantastic university partners. Here arejust a few ways students are pitching in

to help the DC voting rights movement:

On November 11, 2008, members of

the Howard University Air Force Color

Guard presented the colors at DC Votes

Veterans Day Rally.

The University of the District of

Columbiafeatured DC Vote at its annual

Constitution Day ceremony, where we

passed out copies of the United StatesConstitution and Taxation Without

Representation bumper stickers.

Students also had the opportunity to

sign up to get involved with DC Vote

events and activities.

American University students were

especially active this year. In addition to

tabling with petitions on the Tenleytown

campus and turning out volunteers for

our Tax Day protest, two groups of AU

students kicked off this academic year byhitting the streets. Armed with DC Vote

material, they visited businesses in the

Dupont Circle neighborhood passing out

I Demand the Vote window signs and

seeking petition signatures. Many of the

students were originally from other states

and they received a crash course in

taxation without representation when they

later visited the offices of Delegate

Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and

Representative Tom Davis (R-VA).

Students from George Washington

Universityjoined DC Vote for a project to

paint murals at Stanton Elementary.

Volunteers are the back bone of our

efforts and without your support, Students

for DC Vote could never have made it this

far. Keep up the good work guys!

The 2008 Students forDC Vote Winter Kick-OfWas a Huge Success.

In efforts to shake up Students for DC

Vote, we opted for a hands-on activity foour annual Winter Kick-Off. In partnersh

with our friends at City Year, volunteers

lent a hand with a mural project at

Stanton Elementary. Together we

engaged many young people for a

powerful day of service. We painted

murals with themes of service and DC

voting rights. We feel this event will

spark future Students for DC Vote

collaborations with other agencies

serving DC-area youth.

Student SummerSend-Off Brings TogetherArtists for the Cause

Annually, we host a Summer Send-Off

event to inspire students to spread the

word when they return to their schools

both in DC and across the country. Here

at DC Vote we always strive to engage

students in our fight for democracy.This September, we upped the ante by

incorporating spoken word on the topic

DC voting rights in an event at Busboys

and Poets. At Votes, Voices & Visions:

A Night of Creative Expression, eight

artistshailing from all over DC,

Maryland, Virginia, and even New York

performed original pieces for students

from across the country. Joe L. Da Vess

and band Melodic entertained the crowd

with a finale performanceplaying the

original song Demand the Vote. Thisevent drew a crowd of more than 100

students and supporters eager to learn

about the denial of voting rights in our

nations capitol.

With so many creative students ready

to speak out, we look forward to the

Students for DC Vote Arts and

Humanities Contest scheduled for

April 14, 2009.

Students watch the performance

at Votes, Voices & Visions.

Joe L. Da Vessel demands the vote

in a rousing musical performance.

The nights emcee, Scyril, takes the stage.

dents for DC Vote and City Year created beautiful murals

ound the theme of voting rights at Stanton Elementary.

Erica Spell, DC Vote Outreach Associate,

welcomes v olunteers at the Winter Kick-Off.


7/8


DC Vote TakesMessage to theNational Conventions

DC Vote took our message on the road

againthis time to the Democratic

National Convention in Denver and the

Republican National Convention in

Minneapolis-St. Paul.

In a whirlwind week of events at both the

DNC and RNC, DC Vote staff members

Eugene Dewitt Kinlow and Eli Zigas met

one-on-one with hundreds of people,

collected hundreds of petition signatures,

passed out thousands of flyers, buttons

and stickers, and took tons of photos of

our own Abraham Lincoln look-alike, Eli,

with many happy passers-by!

At the DNC, DC Votes Demand theVote music video premiered in a

special, 60-second version that aired

before Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton

took the stage at Denvers Pepsi Center.

DC Vote also co-hosted a Taxation

Without Representation rally at the

Denver Mint. DC Vote supporters joined

with Del. Norton, the DC City Council and

the DC Democratic State Committee to

hand out wooden coins with a Taxation

Without Representation message and todemand the vote!

Inaugural Activities Are anOpportunity to HighlightDC Voting Rights

With millions of visitors anticipated in

DC for the 2009 Inauguration, DC Vote

doesnt want to miss an opportunity to

spread our message to this politically-

engaged audience!

We have a number of activities planned.

We are a sponsor of the Inaugural Peace

Ball on January 20a sold-out gala

presented by Busboys and Poets and

Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

Additionally, we are working to distribute

DC Vote materials such as banners,

buttons and flags to inaugural parade

viewers. We are also calling upon our

volunteers, supporters and coalition

partners to help us with a postcardcampaign. We have created a postcard to

President Obama, urging quick action on

expanding democracy to the citizens of

DC. We will also have a virtual postcard

on DC Votes home page,

www.dcvote.org.

We know that the new Obama-Biden

administration supports DC voting rights

but we want to ensure a victory in 2009.

Please help us send a message to the

President that we cant wait another yearfor a vote in Congress!

Interested in distributing materials or

postcards? Visit www.dcvote.orgor

contact Erica Spell, Outreach Associate,

at [email protected].

Want to learn more about Students for DC Vote?

Contact Erica Spell, Outreach Associate

at 202.462.6000 x18

or via e-mail at [email protected].

Supporters wait for Obama to take the sta

DC Vote meets with members

of the DC Republican Committee.

Eli encounters a famous face

at the RNCactor, Jon Voight.

Attendees gather for McCains speech at the

Eli has an opportunity to personally thank Sen

Snowe (R-ME) for her support of DC voting


8/8


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The new year brings three additions to the DC Vote

family! We are pleased to welcome Pascale-

Emmanuelle Nouama, Abby Levineand Jennifer

Matson. Pascale and Abby will be the cornerstones of

our new development team as Development Director

and Program Manager. Jennifer joins us as

Administrative Assistant. And, for those of you who

have not had the opportunity to meet the most recent

members of our outreach team, Erica Spell and Joel

Donelanhave joined us as DC Votes OutreachAssociate and Student Outreach Intern. Everyone

brings an amazing skill set to our team as we move

into what will be a very busy year.

We are also pleased to announce two new members

of the Board of Directors. Vincent Orange Sr., Pepcos

Region Vice PresidentDistrict of Columbia; and

Joe Sternlieb, co-founder of DC Vote and Vice Preside

for Acquisitions at Eastbanc. Welcome to all!

DC Vote is a 501 (c)(3) educational and advocacy organization

whose mission is to secure full voting representation

in Congress for the residents of the District of Columbia.

The VoiceDC Votes Newsletter

Editor: Kevin Kiger

Associate Editor: Jaline Quinto; Contributor: Eli Zigas

Copyright 2008 DC Vote

DC Vote Welcomes New Staff and Board Members

Use the enclosed envelope or visit our Web site today atwww.dcvote.org to make a contribution to DC Vote.

DC Vote Winter 08 Newsletter

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