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51 for 51

Type:

D.C Statehood Advocacy Group
Lead Organizer:

Demi Stratmon

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51 for 51 is a D.C.-based nonprofit organization that advocates for establishing the District of Columbia as a state by a simple majority vote in the U.S. Senate. 1 The group has called D.C. statehood “one of the most urgent civil rights and voting rights issues of our time” and has largely structured its argument for D.C. statehood around a push for left-of-center policies in D.C. and the interests of “Black and Brown” citizens in the district. 2

Background and Advocacy

51 for 51 is a left-leaning D.C.-based nonprofit organization that advocates for establishing the District of Columbia as a state. 1 The group has argued that a vote in the U.S. Senate should be held and, if a simple majority is obtained, D.C. should be permitted to become a state. It also advocates for the Senate to bypass the traditional 60 votes needed to invoke cloture under the “filibuster” rule. 1  The group has validated its argument by claiming that D.C.’s non-state status violates the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process clause. The group has called the filibuster the “Jim Crow filibuster” and claimed it is a “racist” rule. 3

The group has called D.C.’s current situation “taxation without representation.” The group aims to achieve D.C. statehood in order to allow D.C.’s population to gain votes in Congress, ensure that local policies will become law, gain authority over the D.C. budget, select local judges, and control tax revenues.  4

The group has complained that the federal government “often does not pay property, sales, or income taxes” and “doesn’t necessarily reimburse D.C. for all of the costs associated” with political events. The group has stated that the D.C. government lacks full control over or has faced federal interference with issues such as marijuana legalization, abortion funding through Medicare, HIV protection, and gun control. 4

51 for 51 has attributed D.C.’s lack of statehood to racism. 5 The organization has also attributed gun violence in “predominately black neighborhoods” to “institutional racism.” 6 The group has acknowledged its desire to gain statehood in order to achieve “progressive values.”  5

After the Supreme Court overturned the supposed national right to abortion in Roe v. Wade, the group wrote that the decision would permit states the “authority to set harmful and restrictive abortion policies.” The group’s lead organizer, Demi Stratmon, said that the court decision would be particularly harmful for “Black and Brown” D.C. residents, and that the court was “inherently rigged” against citizens of D.C. 7

According to its website, 51 for 51 stated that “white supremacists invaded the U.S. Capitol” during the January 6, 2021 riot at the United States Capitol, calling the event a “deadly attack.”  8  9 The organization places a consistent emphasis on racial divisions, frequently mentioning that the majority of D.C.’s citizens are “Black and Brown.” 8

According to an article from the Washington Post published in 2021, 51 for 51 staff have traveled to different states to discuss the statehood issue with voters.  10 The media outlet DCist reported in 2019 that 51 for 51 was starting an education campaign ahead of the 2020 presidential primary, utilizing digital ads and local organizing to promote the cause. 11

Partners and Endorsements

According to 51 for 51’s website, D.C. statehood by 51 votes has been endorsed by former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris. The group claimed that U.S. Senators including Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) have also endorsed a simplified vote for statehood.  1

The group is partnered with left-leaning organizations such as Blue Future, Stand Up America, and other groups focused on D.C. representation like DC Vote. 12

51 for 51 participated in the National March On for Washington and Voting Rights alongside other groups including SEIU (one of America’s largest and most controversial labor unions), Future Coalition, the Drum Major Institute, the National Action Network, and March On. 2

The group partnered with Michigan organizations such as the Michigan League of Conservation Voters Education Fund and the ACLU of Michigan to write a letter urging U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) to mark up and pass a D.C. statehood bill. 13

Funding

51 for 51 has no public tax filings. According to a Washington Post report from 2021, 51 for 51 is supported by the Hub Project, a left-of-center advocacy group founded by former Obama administration officials.  10 The journal, DCist, reported that the group’s campaign was a “‘seven-figure’” operation but that “the campaign is declining to say where its funding is coming from.” However, the journal noted that the group, North Fund, purchased the group’s ads, though North Fund itself was only registered as a nonprofit six months before the launch of 51 for 51.  11  North Fund did not list any grants to 51 for 51 in any of its tax filings since 2019.  14

Leadership

Although the group does not have a full employee list, the group’s website refered to Demi Stratmon as 51 for 51’s lead organizer as of 2025. 7

References

  1. “About.” 51 for 51. Accessed July 6, 2025. https://www.51for51.org/about/. 
  2. “51 for 51 Joins National March on for Washington and Voting Rights to Call for D.C. Statehood.” 51 for 51. Accessed July 6, 2025. https://www.51for51.org/news/march-on-for-dcvr/. 
  3. “Scotus Won’t Rule on D.C. Statehood – It’s up to Congress.” 51 for 51. Accessed July 6, 2025. https://www.51for51.org/news/scotus-wont-rule-on-d-c-statehood-its-up-to-congress/. 
  4. “Issues.” 51 for 51. Accessed July 6, 2025. https://www.51for51.org/issues/. 
  5. “The Color of 51.” YouTube. Accessed July 6, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W33NvoMMpg&t=48s. 
  6. “D.C. Needs Statehood to Protect Residents from Gun Violence.” 51 for 51. Accessed July 6, 2025. https://www.51for51.org/news/d-c-needs-statehood-to-protect-residents-from-gun-violence/. 
  7. “Supreme Court Decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Impacts Thousands of Black and Brown D.C. Residents.” 51 for 51. Accessed July 6, 2025. https://www.51for51.org/news/scotus-abortion-statehood/. 
  8. “51 for 51 and ACLU of D.C. Respond to Anniversary of January 6 Insurrection.” 51 for 51. Accessed July 6, 2025. https://www.51for51.org/news/51-for-51-and-aclu-of-d-c-respond-to-anniversary-of-january-6-insurrection/. 
  9. “Six Months after the Insurrection, D.C. Residents Still without Voting Representation and Self-Governance.” 51 for 51. Accessed July 6, 2025. https://www.51for51.org/news/insurrection-sixmonths/. 
  10. Caplan-Bricker, Nora. “Is D.C. Finally on the Brink of Statehood?” Washington Post, January 27, 2021. https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2021/01/27/dc-statehood-activists/. 
  11. Kurzius, Rachel. “This New Campaign Plans to Spend ‘seven Figures’ Pushing for D.C. Statehood. but It Won’t Disclose Its Funders.” DCist, May 23, 2019. https://dcist.com/story/19/05/23/this-new-campaign-plans-to-spend-seven-figures-pushing-for-d-c-statehood-but-it-wont-disclose-its-funders/. 
  12. “Partners.” 51 for 51. Accessed July 6, 2025. https://www.51for51.org/partners/. 
  13. “Over 100 Michigan and National Groups Press Sen. Peters to Move D.C. Statehood Bill to Senate Markup.” 51 for 51. Accessed July 9, 2025. https://www.51for51.org/news/markup-letter/. 
  14. “North Fund – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed July 6, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/834011547. 
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