by, Caryn Freeman

The National Urban League’s Young Professionals Thursday Network Hosts Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes-Norton as she Continues her bid for D.C. Statehood

Last Thursday the young professionals of The National Urban League’s Thursday network held their last general body meeting of the 2010-2011 year. Founded in 1992, the Thursday Network is comprised of more than 130 young professionals committed to serving the Washington Metropolitan area through community programs and partnership that address the five-point thrust of the NULYP. The mission of the Thursday Network is to provide a forum for young adults, ages 21 – 40, to focus their energies on community service, professional development, and political involvement. In 1910, the National Urban League (NUL) started a movement in the African-American community toward establishing economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights.

Congresswoman Eleanor Norton Holmes, now in her eleventh term in Congress representing the District of Columbia was guest speaker at the Thursday Network’s general body meeting last week. The Congresswoman spoke to the packed room at the National Public Radio headquarters on Massachusetts Avenue about the struggle for D.C. statehood. She spoke about the District’s struggle for representation in Congress which begun over two hundred years ago just after the Revolutionary War.

A third generation Washingtonian Congresswoman Norton is deeply committed to equal representation in Congress for the District. Although Norton is a voice for D.C. residents Congress still has the authority to overrule District laws and budgets. She talked about the public health impact federal rule over municipal funds has had in the District. “For ten years Congress would not allow DC to spend municipal funds on needle exchange programs.” According to Norton this mandate has had a significant impact on public health. These types of funding decisions by committees in Congress, according to Congresswoman Norton, have attributed to exceptionally high HIV rates in DC. “Baltimore a much poorer city than DC has substantially lower HIV rates and has had an active needle exchange program for years,” she explained.

The 112th Congress and newly elected Tea Party Republicans have also stripped Norton of her vote in committee. This was a crushing blow to the D.C. statehood movement and jettisoned what limited power Norton held in Congress as it was. Although some members in Congress are willing to vote to extend full voting rights to the D.C. representative, until the District can take back full responsibility for prison costs, which runs close to 1 billion dollars a year, Congress won’t consider statehood.

Budget cuts in Congress earlier this year prompted over 200 members of the community to gather on Constitution Avenue in front of Senate office buildings over controversial budget riders. These protests led to the arrests of members of the D.C. City Council and newly elected mayor, Vincent Gray.

The Greater Washington Urban League’s young professionals Thursday Network will be holding its first general body meeting and open house this week Thursday October 6th. Committees include, Fund Development, Hospitality, Membership Services, Personal and Professional Development, Public Relations as well as a Social and Cultural committee.

If you have questions about the Thursday Network please send an email to info@thursdaynetwork.org or visit www.thursdaynetwork.org .

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