50 Years of Home Rule Celebrated as New Councilmembers Are To Be Sworn In on January 2

January 2, 2025 is a momentous date in the history of the District of Columbia.

On this date, the Council and the District will celebrate 50 year of Home Rule and self-government. 50 years ago, the District’s first elected Home Rule Mayor, Walter E. Washington, and its first elected Home Rule Council, were sworn into office by Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

Every two years in the 50 years since Home Rule began, this ritual has repeated itself. Per the Home Rule Act, prior to noon on January 2, any newly-elected or re-elected members of the DC Council must be sworn in.

This year’s event will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Allen Y. Lew Place, in Ballrooms A and B. The event opens to the public at 8:30AM and begins at 9:30AM. It is hosted by Kojo Nnamdi and Tom Sherwood of WAMU. After remarks are delivered by Mayor Muriel Bowser, Chairman Phil Mendelson, and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, the swearing-in ceremonies will begin at approximately 10AM.

Being sworn in this year will be: Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto, Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George, Ward 7 Councilmember Wendell Felder, Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White, Sr., At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson, and At-Large Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr.

After the swearing-in ceremonies are complete, the Council will convene at the John A. Wilson Building for an Organizational Meeting. That meeting will be open to the public, will be televised on Channel 13/18, or can be seen via Zoom.

At approximately 2:30PM, back at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, the swearing-in ceremonies for the Statehood Delegation, State Board of Education, and Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners will begin.

The Council has organized important projects and events to commemorate Home Rule’s 50th Anniversary. We reunited virtually all the past and present living Councilmembers, Mayors, Attorneys General, and Delegates who have served in the 50 years of Home Rule for a historic photo shoot. And we produced a video with key District leaders past and present that traces how far our government has come in 50 years, the limits and challenges we face, and the potential for future progress.