[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 87 (Friday, May 25, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1166-E1167]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATION TO GIVE D.C. CITIZENS A PLACE IN STATUARY 
                                  HALL

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 24, 2007

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to introduce a bill today to 
permit two statues honoring citizens of the District of Columbia in 
Statuary Hall of the Capitol, just as statues honoring citizens of 
States are placed in the historic hall. This legislation would allow 
the city to offer two statues to the Congress on behalf of DC 
residents. This bill is important to ensure equal treatment for the 
residents of the District of Columbia with the residents of the 50 
States who already have statues representing them in Statuary Hall.
  On August 10, 2006, the DC Commission on Arts and Humanities began 
the process of creating the two statues to be placed in Statuary Hall 
when the Commission chose Frederick Douglass and Pierre L'Enfant as the 
two prominent residents whose statues would represent the District of 
Columbia. The Commission also hired two Washington area sculptors, 
Steven Weitzman and Gordon Kay, to work on the sculptures of Frederick 
Douglass and Pierre L'Enfant and they are scheduled to complete their 
work later this year.
  Douglass, (1818-1895), was born a slave in Maryland and became a 
District resident in 1870. He held diplomatic and District appointments 
and is considered to be the Father of the Civil Rights Movement. 
Douglass also displayed his talents as an orator and journalist 
throughout his life here. His home in the District of Columbia is a 
national monument which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors 
annually.
  L'Enfant, (1754-1825), an architect, engineer and soldier came from 
France to serve in the American Revolution. George Washington chose 
L'Enfant to design the new federal city of Washington D.C. He became a 
US citizen and spent the remainder of his life in D.C. implementing his 
plan and making D.C. the beautiful city it is today.
  The District of Columbia was born with the Nation itself 206 years 
ago. Throughout these two centuries the city has created its very own 
rich and uniquely American history. Congresswoman Norton said, ``It 
goes without saying that the almost 650,000 American citizens who live 
in the Nation's capital deserve the honor of having two of its history 
makers represented in the halls of the Nation's Capitol as citizens who 
live in the 50 states have long enjoyed. That when we allow the 
District to be excluded from its place among the 50 States, we 
undermine the Nation's efforts to spread full democracy around the 
world. While DC residents have not yet obtained the same political 
equality and voting rights as the citizens of the States, they have all 
the responsibilities of the States, including paying all Federal taxes 
and serving in all the Nation's wars.'' Norton said, ``Today when our 
residents are serving in Iraq, the least we should do is to give this 
city its rightful and equal place in the Capitol.'' There are more than 
100 soldiers still serving in Iraq from Specialist Dent's 547th 
Transportation Company.
  ``The statues would offer District residents the opportunity to enjoy 
the same pride that all

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other citizens experience when they come to their Capitol--the 
opportunity to view memorials that commemorate the efforts of deceased 
local residents who have made significant contributions to American 
history,'' Norton said.

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