D.C. activists vouch for statehood as ‘51st State’ documentary premieres at D.C./DOX Film Festival

By Amber D. DoddSpecial to the AFROadodd@afro.com& On Father’s Day, recognized this year on June 16, Hannah Rosenzweig, Jamal Holtz and Diane Robertson premiered their film “51st State.” The documentary was shown at the second annual D.C./DOX Film Festival, a program that highlights projects capturing and cultivating life in the nation’s capital.& The 51st State” is a documentary that takes a look at activists in the District of Columbia and their fight for statehood in the nation’s capital. Activists Jamal Holtz and Demi Stratmon along with American Sign Language interpreter Billy Sanders address the 2021 March on Washington. Credit: Photo courtesy of DCDoxFest.com Credit: Photo courtesy of DCDoxFest.comRosenzweig created the film while Robertson served as the executive producer. The documentary follows statehood activists and D.C. natives Holtz and Demi Stratmon. Their work is housed under 51 for 51, an organization committed to D.C.’s statehood.“We have to see D.C. statehood as a fight for racial justice,” Holtz told the AFRO. “There are people who are advocating around racial justice across the country, but we have to see D.C. statehood as an intersection to those issues.”In 1787, the founding fathers decided that D.C. cannot have congressional representation since the federal government is...