Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Receives Inaugural Marion Barry Jr. Award

The African American Mayors Association (AAMA) awarded AAMA Board Trustee and Mayor of Washington, DC, Muriel Bowser, as the inaugural recipient of the Mayor Marion Barry Jr. Award for Public Service. The award, named in honor of the last D.C. Mayor elected to a third term, was established to recognize leaders who have carried on the legacy of service and leadership to the community through sustained commitment to local government.

“I am honored to receive this award, named in honor of our Mayor for Life, Marion Barry, whose footsteps I followed on January 2 when I took the oath of office for a third time,” said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. “A third term is a special opportunity because I have a mandate from the people to be bold, to think big, to push the envelope, and above all else, to win for Washington, DC. Now, the work continues to ensure every Washingtonian gets a fair shot.”

Mayor Muriel Bowser was selected due to her historic re-election for a third term to lead our nation’s capital. As the first Black woman elected to a third mayoral term of any large American city, Mayor Bowser has led her city through once-in-a-generation crises and challenges with masterful skill and unwavering grace.

“Mayor Bowser is a friend, a colleague, and a role model for young girls and women throughout our nation,” said AAMA President and Mayor of Little Rock, Frank Scott, Jr. “In recognition of her historic re-election to a third term, we proudly celebrate her long-standing leadership and incredible achievements. This award is a testament to dedicated public service and Mayor Bowser is well-deserving.”

Mayor Bowser Directs 51-Star Flags Displayed Along Pennsylvania Avenue in push for D.C. statehood

Ahead of Flag Day, Mayor Muriel Bowser directed 51-star flags to be displayed along Pennsylvania Avenue and issued the following statement regarding DC statehood:

“Today, ahead of Flag Day, I directed our team to hang 51-star flags along Pennsylvania Avenue as a reminder to Congress and the nation that the 700,000 tax-paying American citizens living in Washington, DC demand to be recognized. On Flag Day, we celebrate American ideals, American history, and American liberty. But the very foundation of those ideals, and the basis for our liberty, is representation. DC’s disenfranchisement is a stain on American democracy – a 220-year-old wrong that demands to be righted. The U.S. House of Representatives has already passed the Washington, DC Admission Act, and now the U.S. Senate must do the same.

“As Americans nationwide brace for a decision on the future of Roe v. Wade, we are also reminded that DC’s disenfranchisement impacts not just Americans living in DC, but Americans nationwide who share our values. While the stakes are even higher for Washingtonians, we stand shoulder to shoulder with the majority of Americans who believe in a woman’s right to choose. We also stand shoulder to shoulder with the majority of Americans demanding common sense gun reforms, and with the majority of Americans who want to build a more inclusive democracy.

“We are at an inflection point for American democracy, and it is within the Senate’s power to do the right thing, embrace representation, and move DC statehood forward to the President’s desk.”

Washington D.C. mayor admitted to Democratic Governors Association In Push For D.C. Statehood

Today, the Democratic Governors Association is announcing that Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is joining the organization as its newest member.

The District of Columbia, home to 700,000 residents, a majority of whom are people of color, has long lacked equal representation at the federal level. Its citizens pay taxes, serve in the military, but still lack the full rights and privileges of citizenship.

By joining the DGA, Mayor Bowser will have the opportunity to interact with other state and territory executives on policy best practices, furthering cooperation and innovation both in the District and in other states. It is also a recognition by the DGA on the positive impact D.C.’s citizens and leaders make on the country.

“Democratic governors are national leaders in expanding voting rights and on the frontlines of stopping Republican voter suppression, and we are honored to fight for D.C. statehood by welcoming Mayor Muriel Bowser to the Democratic Governors Association,” said DGA Chair Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. “With more than 700,000 residents, making D.C. a state is a voting rights and civil rights issue to help ensure every American has the representation they deserve. We must especially take this important stand, as Republicans across the country continue their ongoing efforts to restrict our freedom to vote and suppress the voices of people of color at the ballot box. There’s no better way for a state to protect voting rights than to elect a Democratic governor – and that’s exactly what the people of D.C. deserve.”

Mayor Bowser said, “In Washington, DC, we are proud to fulfill all the same responsibilities of citizenship as our fellow Americans in the other 50 states. The fight for DC statehood is about demanding what is owed to us—the rights guaranteed to us by the U.S. Constitution. Like millions of Americans nationwide, Washingtonians are focused on building a fairer, more just, and more resilient nation. We know that ending taxation without representation is not only the right thing to do, it is the best way to build a stronger, more inclusive democracy.”

DC mayor says she's concerned about inauguration security and threats to residential neighborhoods

During an interview on NBC's Meet the Press Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Sunday that despite heavy security around federal facilities, she is concerned about potential terror attacks elsewhere in the city, particularly residential areas during the Biden inaguration activities.

Watch that interview below:

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser statement on historic vote for statehood

Mayor Muriel Bowser issued the following statement after the House of Representatives voted 232-180 to pass the Washington, D.C. Admission Act (H.R. 51), the first time a chamber of Congress has approved a bill to make the District the 51st state.

Today, with this historic vote, DC is closer than we have ever been to becoming the 51st state.

More than 160 years ago, Washingtonian Frederick Douglass told us: Power concedes nothing without a demand. As Washingtonians and as taxpaying American citizens, we are demanding what is owed to us – the rights guaranteed to us by the U.S. Constitution.

It is past time to fix this injustice. It is true that DC is more brown and more liberal than many other states. But the issue of taxation without representation was settled more than 200 years ago through the Declaration of Independence, and disenfranchising more than 700,000 taxpaying Americans is wrong no matter our politics or demographics. Who we elect is our business, and denying us statehood based on who we might send to Congress is both undemocratic and un-American.

Now, just as generations of Americans have worked over the centuries to build a more perfect union, we, too, are ready to seize this moment. Today, we stand on the shoulders of generations of Washingtonians who demanded access to our nation’s democracy – from the abolitionists of the 1800s to the Home Rule activists of the 1900s.

Power concedes nothing without a demand. And statehood is our demand.

On behalf of all Washingtonians, I congratulate Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. On both a personal and professional level, this is an extraordinary accomplishment for the Congresswoman, and we are all grateful not only for her tireless work on statehood, but also her commitment to uplifting DC residents and putting DC in the best position to become the 51st state.

I was born without representation, but I swear – I will not die without representation. Together, we will achieve DC statehood, and when we do, we will look back on this day and remember all who stood with us on the right side of history.

Washington DC mayor, Muriel Bowser: Federal police actions were "shameful"

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) condemned the use of tear gas on peaceful protesters outside the White House on Monday evening.

She noted that authorities acted before the 7 p.m. curfew she had imposed for the city following protests that turned violent the night before and called the decision "shameful."

"I imposed a curfew at 7 p.m. A full 25 minutes before the curfew & without provocation, federal police used munitions on peaceful protestors in front of the White House, an act that will make the job of (DC Police Department) officers more difficult. Shameful!"

Washington, DC mayor issues stay-at-home order

Today, due to an increasing number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Washington, DC and across the region and the nation, Mayor Muriel Bowser issued a stay-at-home order for the District of Columbia. This order reinforces the Mayor’s direction to residents to stay at home except to perform essential activities.

“Our message remains the same: stay home,” said Mayor Bowser. “Staying at home is the best way to flatten the curve and protect yourself, your family, and our entire community from COVID-19. Many people want to know how they can help right now, and for most people this is how – by staying home.”

The Mayor’s Order specifies that residents may only leave their residences to:

• engage in essential activities, including obtaining medical care that cannot be provided through telehealth and obtaining food and essential household goods;
• perform or access essential governmental functions;
• work at essential businesses;
• engage in essential travel; or
• engage in allowable recreational activities, as defined by the Mayor’s Order.

Any individual who willfully violates the stay-at-home order may be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, subject to a fine not exceeding $5,000, imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or both.

The stay-at-home order goes into effect on April 1, 2020 at 12:01 am.