D.C. Statehood Winter Teach In Planned Jan 7, 2012 – Professor G. Derek Musgrove to Moderate

New D.C. Statehood Song to be Unveiled

A committed and enthusiastic group of citizens, led by Elinor Hart, have been urging Members of Congress to co-sponsor H.R. 265, the D.C. Statehood Bill introduced by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.

Our Winter Teach In will be dedicated to 1) informing participants of those efforts; 2) enlisting additional support for the work of Elinor's group; and 3) organizing external efforts to promote D.C. Statehood. Themed "How to make Congress move," the Winter Teach In will feature a General Session and two Break-Out Sessions.

We have excellent presenters lined up, including staff from Congress, the Executive Branch and private sector activists and lobbyists who know how to get things done in Congress. Because of limited capacity, kindly let us know if you plan to participate in the Teach In. A complete Agenda will then be sent to you later.

This Teach In is aimed at Action!

You Should Know:

• That we lose $2.6 Billion in revenue every year because we are not a state.
• We lose millions each year from federal and private real estate in D.C. that we cannot tax because Congress has granted exemptions
• That 700,000 cars come into D.C. every work day and take up 70% of the jobs here, yet unlike every other government, we cannot tax that revenue. You can't get into New York, without paying. You can't get out of New York, without paying. Dulles toll fees are rising; Baltimore toll fees have gone up; and the new Maryland Connector will cost you to use; yet Congress bars us from such revenue.
• The Diplomatic community, Congressional and military people who come here pay no taxes to us by virtue of laws passed by Congress
• If we were a state, Congress could not tell us how to raise and spend our money!
• We would not have to cut summer jobs in half. We could double them. We may not have to raise taxes. We could possibly cut taxes!

Come. Learn More. Act Now. Be a part of the Solution, not part of the Problem.

TOTAL REVENUE LOST: $2.6 BILLION

At The Carnegie Institution
16th and "P" Streets, N.W. - Washington, D.C.
5:30 to 7:00 p.m. - Saturday, January 7 2012

Don't Miss This!    Free For The Public!
RSVP to Johnny.Barnes@aclu-nca.org or (202) 457-0800

When you sign up to attend the Winter Teach In, a Full Agenda will be sent to you. As with the Summer Teach In, this Teach In will be followed by an evening of entertainment. While the Entertainment Program is not free, tickets are priced to be affordable, and a new D.C. Statehood Song will be introduced. View the flyer for more info »

The new song has been produced by the LCB Group, former Lead Singers with the Temptations, Drifters and Platters and features a special appearance by Ms. Ayanna Gregory, daughter of Comedian and activist Dick Gregory.

G. Derek Musgrove, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of history at the University of the District of Columbia. He is the author of Rumor, Repression, and Racial Politics: How the Harassment of Black Elected Officials Shaped Post-Civil Rights America (University of Georgia Press, 2012) which examines black elected officials' allegations of state and news media "harassment" over the course of the post civil rights period. Dr. Musgrove has received the 2003-4 Anne E. Plato predoctoral fellowship at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut and the 2007-8 postdoctoral fellowship in the Center for African American Urban Studies and the Economy at Carnegie Mellon University to support his work. He received his Ph.D. in U.S. history from New York University in 2005. Prior to joining the faculty at UDC, Dr. Musgrove worked as a teacher and organizer in the Children's' Defense Fund's Freedom School Program (1994-2001), as an organizer for the Graduate Student Organizing Committee of the United Auto Workers at New York University (1998-2001), and as a legislative assistant in the office of Congressman Alcee L. Hastings, Democrat of Florida (2001-2). For more information about Dr. Musgrove or to pre-order his book, go to www.gdmusgrove.com.

Elinor Hart is organizing the effort to increase support in Congress for HR 265, the New Columbia Admission Act. She feels compelled to do this because she recognizes that Statehood is the only way she and other DC residents can have the full rights that other American citizens enjoy. Her organizing experience spans over 30years and includes media production, coordination of the Washington Lawyers' Committee's School Partnership Program, and voter education for the League of Women Voters.

Before becoming a Statehood advocate, Elinor worked for many years to address various aspects' of DC's second-class citizenship—lack of Congressional voting rights and budget autonomy, unfair financial constraints, etc. Since then, she has worked to educate people in both DC and the 50 states about the need for Statehood. Her efforts have included advocacy for the 51st State Commission and a DVD for teachers. Elinor has taught DC Historyand Government to DC Public School teachers and to undergraduate students at the University of the District of Columbia.