Is D.C. Really Becoming a State?

Story by Sean Beach. Photo from www.theguardian.com

OCT. 28, 2016: Has it finally come to this? Is the District of Columbia really going to be the 51st state of the United States of America?

On October 18, 2016, an amendment for DC to become a state was passed by the DC Council. The people of DC really want to have all of the same rights as the states of the US, but don’t have them now because we are not a state.

Most DC residents are supporting DC statehood because we have to pay the taxes like we are a state but we are not represented by Congress. That’s why license plates on cars say “Taxation Without Representation”.

The District has been called Washington, DC for 225 years when it first became the capital of the United States. As of now, the DC Council has proposed calling our new state, New Columbia. Some residents of Washington, DC do not agree with the name. One of the main reasons is that “New Columbia” honors Christopher Columbus who said that he was the first person to discover America, but that is not true. Native Americans were already here. But, Mayor Bowser and other council members went along with the name even though they could have chosen a different name for our new state.

I really believe that DC should become a state because I want everyone to be represented. Once I am old enough to vote, I want my voice to matter.

Sean Beach is a 8th grade scholar at Friendship Tech Prep Academy.