Thousands March for D.C. Voting Rights

WASHINGTON - Despite the wind and the rain, nearly 2,000 people marched on Capitol Hill Monday to protest the lack of voting rights for District residents.

D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton led the rally.

Officials were concerned that the rain and winds would prevent residents from marching, but thousands turned out to lend their support.

Former D.C. Mayor Tony Williams and many D.C. Councilmembers participated in the march, which began at Freedom Plaza and ended with a rally on Capitol Hill.

The D.C. Voting Rights Act, a bill that would address the denial of voting representation, was pulled from the House Floor last month after three legislators tried to attach a provision that would strip D.C. of its strict gun laws.

The D.C. Voting Rights Act is expected to return to the House Floor this week.

Fenty told the crowd that once a bill giving D.C. a vote in the House is approved by Congress, he'll lead another march to the White House, where President Bush has threatened a veto.

District officials made the decision to march on April 16 as a way to commemorate the 145th anniversary of the end of slavery in the nation's capital.

On April 16, 1862, the institution of slavery was abolished for persons of African descent who lived in the capital city.

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