Thousands Demand Vote in DC

“We may be emancipated but we sure aren’t free!” shouted a hoarse but defiant DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton at Monday afternoon’s DC Vote march and rally. Thousands from across the District marched down Pennsylvania Avenue chanting “Free DC!” as temperatures dropped, the wind rose and a steady drizzle failed to dampen spirits as the jubilant marchers converged on the US Capitol. “We don’t come to this Capitol to beg for our rights,” Norton said. “We have paid for them in blood and in treasure, and we are here now to collect.” DC Mayor Adrian Fenty and City Council Chair Vincent Gray joined Norton on the stage to demand passage of the DC Voting Rights Act, calling “DC’s colonial status an international embarrassment.” The D.C. Voting Rights March was held on D.C. Emancipation Day, the anniversary of the day in 1862 when President Abraham Lincoln freed slaves in the District of Columbia. Photos by Chris Garlock and Andy Richards