[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 15614-15615]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING DR. TALMADGE WILLIAMS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 12, 2014

  Mr. MORAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my friend Dr. Talmadge 
Williams. He was a man of consequence who forever strived to restore 
balance to the scales of justice, whether it was ensuring that our 
government committed to telling the full story, or making sure someone 
he knew had a fair shot at success. And he was my friend.
  I am not exactly sure when our paths first crossed, but Talmadge had 
a way of growing on you. As a local elected official, particularly in 
my early years of service, I was out almost every night at a different 
event, connecting with communities and constituents I represented, 
first at City Hall in Alexandria and subsequently in Congress.
  Somewhere among the meetings and events I saw Talmadge as a familiar 
face and in a short while we would seek each other out and discuss 
local issues of concern. His quiet demeanor and keen insight made him 
an indispensable ally and a trusted friend.
  He always seemed to know more about a local issue than what was 
common knowledge, and in sharing it with me, he opened my eyes to a 
narrative and a perspective that was largely unknown.
  It was more than just folklore; it was history that was still 
unwritten but needed to be. And, there was often a reason it went 
unrecorded and remained unwritten. It was part of a painful truth that 
too many, particularly those in power, found inconvenient or 
uncomfortable to acknowledge.
  Well, Talmadge's sense of justice wouldn't let it stand and a great 
deal of his life was devoted to finding ways to tell the full story.
  One monumental way he found to tell the full story was when he 
conceived the idea of building in Arlington The Black Heritage Museum. 
It was a vision I am pleased to be associated with through 
congressional legislation I helped pass that reserved a segment of the 
Navy Annex site for the future museum.
  But, Talmadge was not one to pass up on other opportunities and I was 
proud to join with him in restoring the surviving slave quarters at 
Robert E. Lee's Arlington House. You see, before Talmadge made it an 
issue, the Park Service was using the two surviving slave quarters as a 
storage facility, erasing the significance of these two buildings and 
the story of slavery at Arlington House.
  It is not uncommon to find some of Virginia's historic plantations 
beautifully restored, but with all traces of its slave history removed, 
as if that peculiar institution never existed. We could not undo what 
these owners did to erase the vestiges of slavery from their grounds, 
but we were not going to let the National Park Service get away with 
it.
  I made sure the Park Service had the funds and the instructions from 
Congress to restore the slave quarters.
  Today, Talmadge's work is now on display at Arlington House. When 
Talmadge made his point, it had a lasting effect.

[[Page 15615]]

  While I was on the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee I 
made sure the history of the U.S. Capitol acknowledged the sweat and 
blood of the slaves who built it. Today, in the Capitol's new visitor 
center there is a memorial dedicated to the slaves who built the 
nation's house of democracy. For me, this memorial also honors my 
friend Talmadge Williams.
  While we have faced some setbacks on acquiring the land for the Black 
Heritage Museum, I have no doubt it will be built.
  You see, Talmadge is recruiting new allies in heaven to aid the 
cause. Though I am saddened by his death, I rejoice in knowing that 
Talmadge has transformed those around him directing us to a better, 
more just tomorrow.
  He is a man who dared to make a difference, and I am so ever grateful 
I am among those he touched.

                          ____________________