Help us campaign today for a better tomorrow!
From the Black L.U.V. Festival in 1997 to We Act Radio in 2011 to founding boardmember of Douglass Community Landtrust in 2018 to published author in 2023 ninevehnovel.com Kymone Freeman has been an active artivist in the Nation's Capital.
The 34yr incumbent isn't ready to say ceasefire in Palestine where 10k children have been murdered. That type of callousness makes child poverty 2x the national average & the fact DC is the most dangerous city in America for a Black woman to give birth tolerable. If DC was a state, it would have been the most violent state in America in 2022.
We are facing a change of the guard despite the wishes of the gatekeepers. EARLY PRESS: "Kymone Freeman announces run," The Washington Informer, Jan 16, 2024 More on some crucial issues below. Let us know what issues are most important to you, and check back for updates.
The DC Delegate's seat "doesn’t belong to any specific person," and it's time for leadership that will "broaden democracy." Kymone "will fight for us to have a vote in the House at the least and [ultimately] statehood" -- Lisa D.T. Rice, quoted in The Washington Informer.
Rice is ANC 7B07 and proposer of Initiative 83 (Ranked Choice Voting -- more below).
The Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act in 1986 addressed racial segregation and oppression in South Africa. But Congress has not yet taken any steps to address legal segregation in Israel and the Occupied Palestine and the need for Palestinian self-determination.
Failure of the US to speak out on violation of Palestinian human rights helps perpetuate those harms, endangers Palestinian Americans, and contributes to dehumanizing views and oppression in this country.
"Anyone who tries to say certain things about Israel or Jewish involvement in politics gets labeled as antisemitic. We’re becoming more and more fascist by the minute. Kymone could draw some attention to the way our country is settling into shutting people down.” -- Virginia Spatz, quoted in The Washington Informer.
Spatz is Ward 6 voter.
DC's VOTE in Congress DC's Delegate has in the past been allowed to vote on committee matters, including in Committee of the Whole.
RANKED CHOICE VOTING Make All Votes Count: Initiative 83 and background NPR's "Explainer" on RCV nationwide Fair Vote background
US House Res 786, calling for an immediate deescalation and cease-fire in Israel and occupied Palestine, has only 18 co-sponsors , not including our current Delegate.
The US stands apart from substantial global majority -- 153 of 193 in the UN -- supporting peaceful resolution. Many leaders in- and outside Jewish communities around the world believe the current violence only endangers Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
Sometimes, even some of our most distinguished elders can become gatekeepers for the status quo & refuse to pass the baton. Congresswoman Norton will be 89 if she completes the next term & no one should have to work until they are 90.
My short-term goal is to shift the discussion from the cookie cutter approach to the outrageous crime rate with endless calls for more police, more prison time, etc. to violence prevention with proven methods that work. For example, did you know if an undeveloped mind is devoid of 4 essential nutrients that they are 51% more prone to violent behavior? That is not even beginning to address other factors like lead exposure, poverty, illiteracy, mental health, etc., this is solely related to the diet. This is why we live in food deserts in the midst of a proliferation of liquor stores with readily accessible drugs & weapons but no bookstores.
My long-term goal is to radicalize DC Politics by putting everything the real MLK represented. All of the radical policies he advocated for from a guaranteed income, war on poverty to the redistribution of economic & political power. With the average White family having 81x the wealth of the average Black family in DC, surely this warrants examination & action.
We don't have a vote, but we do have a voice. We need to amplify voices of dissent when the Nation's Capital is the most dangerous city in America for a Black woman to give birth. If DC was a state it would have been the most violent state in America in 2022.
Our do nothing Congress doesn’t care about voting rights. This is why we have the Voters Right Act gutted & voter suppression on the rise. They don't care about 700k disenfranchised voters. So why do we continue to appeal to the morals & conscience of those w/o morals or a conscience? The argument needs to be made that perhaps conservative elements in both parties benefit from a gridlock where nothing gets done & the blame is shifted back & forth which only serves to maintain the status quo. We must come to see that DC Statehood is the linchpin issue that could tip the balance of power in this entire country. That argument could better galvanize national support.
I am working on the 10 things we all should know but I am consulting with segments of our city who are not always active in DC politics, i.e, Ethiopians, Eritreans, Latinos, college kids and those in poverty to solicit their input as to what is their local / national / international issues of importance to them. This will ensure the authenticity of our campaign issues. In addition, we must include a political education component to this campaign. MLK "Where Do Go From Here: Chaos or Community?" Provides answers but I think Noam Chomsky describes our predicament best.
"The tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no int'l support for a good reason. They don't have wealth. They don't have power. So they don't have rights. It's the way the world works. Your rights correspond to your power & your wealth. Same inside the US. We shouldn't be surprised to see it.
What's called the Nat'l Interests turns out to be the interest of dominant domestic forces in US society. The Nat'l Interest means the interest of the very rich & major corporations the ones that set gov't policy. That's the Nat'l Interest. They are not the population. The population is basically irrelevant. The population often strongly opposes gov't policy & they will simply disregard it.
Overwhelmingly, people say there should be higher taxes on the wealthy. What happens? Taxes on the wealthy go down. We do not live in a society where the public determines gov't policy."
My main issue personally is addressing the root causes of violence. We should fight crime by fighting poverty and not feeding the largest prison system in the world. Secondly, the cost of housing is too damn high! Housing & Urban Development has a guideline that states that you shouldn't pay more than 30% of your income in housing, including utilities. Far too many people are paying more than that. HUD's guideline should become a national mandate. I will ensure social housing is the model to follow to address the housing crisis. Finally, healthcare for all, not insurance, has to replace our current for-profit sickcare system. Many haters will immediately respond, "How do you intend to pay for all that?" Simple, end the public financing of wars for private profit!
"The greatest power is convincing people that they don't have any." - Alice Walker
