National Archives Holds Program on DC Statehood and Representative Democracy June 25
Press Release · Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Washington, DC

On Thursday, June 25, at 7 p.m., the National Archives presents a special program on DC Statehood and Representative Democracy. This event is free and open to the public and will be held in the William G. McGowan Theater of the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC, and streamed live on YouTube. Attendees should use the Special Events entrance on Constitution at 7th Street NW.

Washington, DC, established as a federal district to be run by Congress, is today a thriving city whose population exceeds that of some states. Yet its citizens do not enjoy full voting rights in Congress. In some states, citizens feel disenfranchised by voter ID laws. The right to vote for one’s representatives may be a basic right of our democracy, but do our current voting laws violate the spirit of our democracy? A panel of experts discusses the current state of our representative democracy. Moderated by American University Professor Leonard Steinhorn, panelists include Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Delegate to the US Congress representing the District of Columbia, former DC Mayor Anthony Williams; former Member of Congress Jim Walsh (R-NY); and, for­mer Member of Congress James Moran (D-VA). This program is presented in partnership with the US Association of Former Members of Congress.

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, now in her thirteenth term as the Congresswoman for the District of Columbia, is the Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit. She serves on two committees: the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Former Mayor Anthony Williams served as the fifth mayor of Washington, DC from 1999 to 2007. During his two terms, he was widely credited with leading the District’s financial comeback and improving the performance of its government agencies, all while lowering taxes and investing in infrastructure and human services. Prior to his election, he was the independent chief financial officer of the District.

Former Member of Congress Jim Walsh served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1989 to 2009. During his tenure in Congress, Mr. Walsh served as a deputy Republican whip from 1994-2006. He was appointed as a member of the House Appropriations Committee where he served from 1993-2009. During that time he became Chairman of four House Appropriations Subcommittees.

Former Member of Congress James Patrick “Jim” Moran, Jr. represented Virginia’s 8^th District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1991 to 2015. He was a member of the House Appropriations Committee, and served on the Defense Subcommittee, the Interior Subcommittee, and as ranking Democrat on the Legislative Branch Subcommittee. He was also the second ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee.

Leonard Steinhorn is a professor of Public Communication and an affiliate professor of History at American University. His expertise includes American politics, culture and media, strategic communication, the presidency, race relations, the 1960s, and recent American history. He is author of The Greater Generation: In Defense of the Baby Boom Legacy, and co-author of By the Color of Our Skin: The Illusion of Integration and the Reality of Race.

The National Archives Museum in Washington, DC, is Metro accessible on the Yellow and Green lines, Archives/Navy Memorial station. For upcoming programs, see the Calendar of Events.

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For press information contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at 202-357-5300.

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