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Norton Announces Guests for State of the Union Address

March 1, 2022

WASHINGTON, D.C. –– Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced that her virtual guests for tonight's State of the Union address will be several strong advocates for statehood for the District of Columbia, including the executive director of DC Vote, a co-founder of Neighbors United for D.C. Statehood, the executive director of Students United for D.C. Statehood, the chair of Howard University's Political Science Department, and two Howard University seniors. Members of Congress typically bring a guest from their districts to attend the State of the Union address to highlight an important issue. Due to COVID, members are not allowed to bring a guest this year, so Norton chose to invite several virtual guests who are advocates for D.C. statehood.

"I am pleased for this opportunity to feature a group of D.C. residents who are powerful advocates for D.C. statehood," Norton said. "They represent some of the best advocates the District has to offer, and I look forward to working with them tonight and in the future to highlight the importance of granting statehood to the nearly 700,000 residents of the nation's capital."

In 2020 and 2021, the House passed Norton's D.C. statehood bill, which were the first and second times in history either chamber of Congress had passed the D.C. statehood bill. The Senate version of the bill, sponsored by Tom Carper (D-DE), has a record 45 cosponsors.

Guests:

Josh Burch is a native Washingtonian who lives with his wife and two children in the Brookland neighborhood. Josh co-founded Neighbors United for D.C. Statehood with his neighbor Phil Portlock to help create a grassroots movement for statehood neighbor by neighbor. Eleven years after its founding, Josh continues to lead the all-volunteer citizen advocacy group, which has engaged thousands of D.C. residents in tangible actions focused on making D.C. the 51st state.

Bo Shuff serves as the executive director of DC Vote. Bo has spent the last 20 years on the front lines of both electoral and advocacy politics. From being a member of the Gore election team in Florida in 2000 to being on the staff of the Human Rights Campaign from the Lawrence decision through the 2006 marriage amendments, Bo somehow finds himself engaged in some of the hottest political moments. In addition to organizational advocacy work, his electoral efforts led to a progressive majority in the Washington State Senate and, as Campaign Manager, the election of Mayor Muriel Bowser. He joined DC Vote in 2016 with an eye to achieving full equality for D.C. residents.

Dr. Ravi K. Perry joined the Department of Political Science at Howard University in August 2019 as Chair and Professor. Previously, Dr. Perry was Chair of the Department of Political Science at Virginia Commonwealth University and was a member of the faculty at Mississippi State University and Clark University (Worcester, MA). An expert on Black politics, minority representation, urban politics, American public policy, and LGBT candidates of color, Dr. Perry is the editor of 21st Century Urban Race Politics: Representing Minorities as Universal Interests, a book that discusses the efforts of African American, Latino and Asian mayors to represent the interests of minorities in historically White cities in the United States.

Cassandra Likouris is a recent graduate of Kent State University and has been a Ward 3 resident since July 2021. She now works for the District of Columbia Shadow Delegation and is also the executive director of Students for D.C. Statehood. She is enthusiastic about D.C. statehood and is thankful for the opportunities that she has been given to be involved in the voting rights movement, which includes the fight to get voting representation in Congress for residents of the nation's capital.

Dara Baldwin is a 14-year D.C. resident living in Ward 5 and a longtime activist for D.C. statehood. She does most of her advocacy as a member of Neighbors United for D.C. Statehood . She is a national and international disability justice activist and works as Director of National Policy for the Center for Disability Rights, where she includes the fight for D.C. statehood in all of her work.

Olivia Carroll is a graduating senior at Howard University studying Civil and Environmental Engineering. Olivia, born and raised in Baltimore, MD, now lives in Ward 1. She quickly grew passionate for D.C. statehood and proudly serves as the Chair of the Howard University Chapter of Students for D.C. Statehood.

M. Julian Goldstein is a graduating senior at Howard University studying International Affairs with a minor in Community Development. A lifetime resident of Ward 2 and dedicated human rights activist, Julian proudly serves as the Vice Chair of the Howard University Chapter of Students for D.C. Statehood.

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