[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 13984-13985]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           ACCEPTING AND DEPICTING FREDERICK DOUGLASS STATUE

  Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the 
consideration of H.R. 6336.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 6336) to direct the Joint Committee on the 
     Library to accept a statue depicting Frederick Douglass from 
     the District of Columbia and to provide for the permanent 
     display of the statue in Emancipation Hall of the United 
     States Capitol.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, the statues and busts in the U.S. Capitol 
depicting distinguished Americans number more than 120. However, among 
the collection are only two African Americans, Dr. Martin Luther King, 
Jr. and Sojourner Truth. This disparity fails to acknowledge the 
historically significant contributions of African Americans to our 
Nation. I am pleased that passage of H.R. 6336 today begins to address 
this need to display in the U.S. Capitol the statues and busts of 
outstanding African Americans whose contributions to the country 
deserve such recognition.
  In my fiscal year 2013 Senate Financial Services and General 
Government appropriations bill reported by the committee on June 14, I 
included a provision to permit the District of Columbia to donate and 
the Joint Committee on the Library to accept a statue of Frederick 
Douglass for placement in the United States Capitol. All costs of the 
transportation and placement of the statue would be borne by the 
District of Columbia. Subsequently, I joined Senator Schumer in 
introducing a free-standing resolution for acquisition of the Douglass 
statue. The House acted on its own measure and unanimously approved it 
earlier this week.
  Frederick Douglass was one of the most influential orators and 
writers of the 19th century, an advocate for abolitionism, women's 
suffrage, and the equality of all people. He worked tirelessly on 
behalf of emancipation. As a pivotal figure in Underground Railroad 
activities, he was an inspiration to enslaved Americans who aspired to 
freedom and equal rights.
  As one of our Nation's most powerful voices for justice and the 
equality of all people, Frederick Douglass' writings and teachings 
still speak to Americans today. Moving a statue of Frederick Douglass 
to the Emancipation Hall not only will recognize the accomplishments of 
one of the most important political activists in American history, it 
also will help correct the imbalance of influential African Americans 
honored in the halls of our Nation's Capitol.
  It is particularly fitting that this long overdue legislation will be 
enacted near the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of President 
Abraham Lincoln's signing of the preliminary proclamation on September 
22, 1862, that paved the way for the Emancipation Proclamation to be 
signed on January 1, 1863.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I rise today to praise my Senate and 
House colleagues for passing H.R. 6336, a bill that will allow a statue 
of American hero and Rochester resident, Frederick Douglass, to reside 
permanently in the U.S. Capitol. I am proud that after a 5-year delay, 
Congress is acting to ensure that millions of visitors who come to 
Washington every year will see Frederick Douglass among the pantheon of 
statues of great Americans in our Capitol.
  I want to thank my good friend and colleague Senator Dick Durbin for 
working with me and co-sponsoring the Senate bill that would ultimately 
lead to the passage of H.R. 6336. I also want to thank Representatives 
Lungren and Brady for their bipartisan support in the House that helped 
bring this bill to the Senate for final passage. Lastly, I want to 
especially thank Delegate Norton for her tireless efforts towards 
bringing the statue of this great American to our Capitol.
  Bringing Frederick Douglass to the U.S. Capitol is an important step 
toward ensuring that Americans depicted in the art of the Capitol 
reflect the true heritage of our Nation and the people who have helped 
to make it great. Currently there are only two African Americans 
depicted in the U.S. Capitol: Sojourner Truth in Emancipation Hall and 
the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Rotunda. There is little doubt 
that more needs to be done to make sure that a greater diversity of 
outstanding Americans is represented in the U.S. Capitol. There is no 
doubt that a statue of Frederick Douglass, a man of towering influence 
not only during his lifetime in the 19th century but also, through his 
writings and actions, to the present day, has earned a place in our 
Capitol.
  He was born into slavery in Maryland, and at the age of 20 escaped to 
freedom. After living in Massachusetts, he moved to Rochester, NY, 
where he spent 25 highly productive and influential years and gained 
prominence as a leading national voice for the causes of human freedom 
and equality.
  During his time in Rochester, he published and edited The North Star, 
the most prominent African American newspaper in the country. Douglass 
was also a leader in the Underground Railroad in Rochester and Western 
New York. His influential best-selling autobiography, Narrative of the 
Life of Frederick Douglass, served as a rallying cry for the 
abolitionist movement and helped bring an end to that cruel 
institution.
  During the Seneca Falls Convention, a historic gathering near Geneva, 
NY,

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to promote women's rights in 1848, Douglass participated as the only 
African American and one of only 37 men out of 300 attendees. Douglass' 
presence at the convention in Seneca Falls visibly displayed his belief 
that the women's rights movement and that of emancipation went hand-in-
hand. Douglass' beliefs on equality helped shape our great country and 
inspired generations of men and women elected to serve here in the 
halls of Congress. The passage of H.R. 6336 rightfully guarantees that 
Douglass' legacy will forever be recognized in the Capitol of a 
grateful Nation.
  Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read three times 
and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no 
intervening action or debate, and any statements relating to the bill 
be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (H.R. 6336) was ordered to a third reading, was read the 
third time, and passed.

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