Mayor Vincent Gray directed some of D.C.’s newest residents to fight for statehood, calling the District’s lack of voting Congressional representation akin to “second-class citizenship.”

“Are you prepared to live in a second class in the District of Columbia?” Gray asked the freshmen members of the Emerging Leaders Program. “There are 119 nation’s capitals in the free world and there is only one of them in the free world that doesn’t enjoy democracy and that would be the District of Columbia.”

Like many of his predecessors, Gray has lobbied for statehood but is still forced to ask for Congressional approval of any taxes or to fund much of the District’s budget. Gray urged the audience to attend the Full Democracy Freedom Rally, which is the mayor’s newest attempt to lobby for statehood. The event was postponed due to the looming storm but will be rescheduled.

Turning to his time at GW, Gray said his years at the University were a “painful experience,” but ones that stilled helped him grow as a leader.

“Everything I’ve experienced at this University has had a profound impact on me and my professional career,” Gray said.

Gray talked about how the many obstacles he faced in college – from racist professors to all-white athletic programs – taught him “not to walk away from something because I had fears.”

Sophomore Joanna Rodriguez, one of the peer leadership mentors in charge of securing speakers for the program, said she sought Gray because she wanted someone students would remember throughout their college experiences.

“Gray is a tangible example of how leadership on campus develops into leadership in the rest of your life,” Rodriguez said.