Umoja Party facts for kids

The Umoja Party was a political group in District of Columbia. It was considered a far-left party. This means it supported big changes to help people and solve problems.

The Umoja Party: A Look Back

How the Party Started

Kemry Hughes helped create the Umoja Party in December 1993. The official group that handles elections in D.C. approved its name in February 1994. Hughes was 27 and a student who wanted D.C. to become a state. He said the Umoja Party would focus on the needs of communities of color. The word "Umoja" means "unity" in the Swahili language.

First Elections in 1994

Two people from the Umoja Party ran in the 1994 election. Mark A. Thompson ran for the leader of the Council of the District of Columbia. Kemry Hughes ran for a seat on the Council that represents the whole city. Thompson was a student and a radio host. He once led a protest that closed the University of the District of Columbia for eleven days. Hughes said he wanted to help people who felt left out.

Thompson received 12,843 votes. Hughes received 7,929 votes. Because Thompson got more than 7,500 votes, the Umoja Party could hold its own primary elections. It also meant the party's name would appear on voter registration forms.

A Special Election in 1995

In 1995, the Umoja Party had another candidate, Rahim Jenkins. He ran in a special election for the Ward 8 seat on the Council. Jenkins was the head of a group called the D.C. Righteous Men's Commission.

Jenkins received 128 votes in this election. This was about three percent of all the votes.

The 1996 General Election

By 1996, the Umoja Party had 750 registered voters. They put several candidates on the election ballot. Mark Thompson ran for an at-large Council seat again. Rahim Jenkins ran for the Ward 8 Council seat. Rick Malachi ran for the Ward 4 Council seat. Malachi was a student who worked for a youth employment program. George Pope Jr. ran for D.C.'s shadow senator. A shadow senator works to get D.C. full voting rights in Congress. Pope was a community leader.

The Umoja Party wanted better education and health care. They also wanted to hire D.C. residents first for jobs. They supported a commuter tax on people who work in D.C. but live elsewhere. They also wanted to end tax breaks for some nonprofit organizations.

Thompson talked to people door-to-door. He focused on helping residents and getting D.C. more self-determination. This meant D.C. would have more control over its own government. Malachi wanted more people to join in political discussions.

Thompson received 15,796 votes. This was enough for the Umoja Party to keep its spot on voter registration forms. Malachi got 21 percent of the votes in his race. Jenkins received six percent, and Pope received nine percent.

Another Special Election in 1997

In 1997, Archbishop George Augustus Stallings Jr. ran for the Ward 6 Council seat for the Umoja Party. Stallings was a religious leader who combined Catholic traditions with African themes. He said he wanted to improve D.C.'s schools, money, and independence.

Stallings wanted to increase money for social programs. These included job training, health care, and education. He also wanted to save money by reducing energy and printing costs. He supported selling empty government land. He also wanted to end tax breaks for non-residents working in D.C. He thought community policing would help reduce crime.

Stallings came in second place in the election. He received 18 percent of the votes.

The 1998 General Election

In 1998, Nik Earnes ran for the Ward 1 Council seat. He was an engineering student and a community leader. Earnes believed the Ward 1 Council member should be a person of color. This was because most residents there were African American or Latino.

George Pope ran for a seat on the District of Columbia Board of Education. This position is not tied to a political party. Pope emphasized the importance of parents being involved in schools.

Mark Thompson also ran for an at-large Council seat. He wanted to focus on jobs, services for older people, education, and affordable housing. He said economic growth was especially needed in areas like Anacostia and U Street.

Thompson received 9,733 votes, coming in fifth place. Earnes came in second for the Ward 1 seat. Pope came in eighth for the Board of Education.

The 2000 General Election and End of the Party

In July 2000, the Umoja Party had one candidate, Kalonji T. Olusegun. He ran for shadow representative. Olusegun was a retired social service worker. He had worked for forty years to help the poor and those who felt left out. He said he would fight for justice and truth.

The party's goals included a living wage (a wage high enough to live on). They also wanted to expand the earned income tax credit to help low-income workers. Other goals were affordable housing and government-supported health insurance for all poor children. They also wanted to protect the University of the District of Columbia and D.C. General Hospital.

In the general election, Olusegun received 4,032 votes. This was fewer than the 7,500 votes needed for the Umoja Party to keep its "major-party" status in D.C. Because they did not get enough votes, the Umoja Party was no longer considered a major party. The party dissolved in 2000.