Washington, DC., USA, 1984 Coretta Scott King along with Congressman Walter E. Fauntroy (D-DC) stand in front of the Embassy of South Africa during a protest and are about to be arrested by a member of the Washington DC. police department for violating the 250 foot rule for protesting in front of an Embassy building. Credit: Mark Reinstein
Washington, DC. 1984 Coretta Scott King along with Walter E. Fauntroy stand in front of the Embassy of South Africa during a protest and are about to be arrested by a member of the Washington DC. police department for violating the 250 foot rule for protesting in front of an Embassy building. The District of Columbia had no formal representation in Congress before 1970. That year, President Nixon signed the District of Columbia Delegate Act that gave the District one non-voting delegate to Congress. Fauntroy wanted the job. With the support of his fellow pastors in the city Ð and with appearances by his friend Coretta Scott King Ñ he defeated two primary opponents who had both spent twice as much money as he did. Because Washington, DC is a heavily Democratic city with a black majority, the Democratic primary election was the important race for the seat. Having won the primary by a substantial margin, Fauntroy easily beat Republican John A. Nevius and other candidates, including future council members Julius Hobson of the Statehood Party and Douglas E. Moore, who ran as an independent. Fauntroy was sworn in March 23, 1971, becoming the first delegate to represent the citizens of the District of Columbia as a member of the United States House of Representatives in almost 100 years. Although Fauntroy's status in the Congress did not allow him to vote on the House floor, he was allowed a vote in committee and could introduce legislation on any issue. Fauntroy therefore became influential with the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) as a liberal with an agenda that included the concerns of inner city residents, the poor, and minorities. Fauntroy's special quest was for home rule Ð and eventually statehood Ð for the District of Columbia. Using his considerable political clout, he oversaw legislation that provided for direct election of a mayor and a city council in Washington by 1973. Fauntroy briefly considered running for mayor of Washington himself but instea
Size: 3552px × 5295px
Location: South African Embassy, Washington, DC., USA,
Photo credit: © mark reinstein / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: .., african, america, apartheid, arrest, civil, columbia, congressman, dc, district, embassy, north, police, protest, rights, south, states, united, usa, washington
