Designating the House Press Gallery in the United States Capitol As the ``Frederick Douglass Press Gallery''

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 137, which was approved unanimously by the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in April.

It has been a pleasure to work with my Transportation and Infrastructure colleague, the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Owens), to help advance this bill through our markup and to the floor today. We are both original cosponsors of this resolution from the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Donalds.

H. Res. 137 will rename the House Press Gallery for an amazing American, Frederick Douglass.

Many know Douglass as an abolitionist and orator. Formerly enslaved, he emancipated himself.

Yet many don't know Douglass as a journalist. He first worked with William Lloyd Garrison's abolitionist newspaper, The Liberator.

Then, he founded and published his own newspaper, The North Star. The title recognized the way so many former slaves found liberation--by following the North Star to freedom. After the Civil War, Douglass published other newspapers, like The New National Era, a Black weekly newspaper. Douglass and his sons covered Congress for this publication.

Frederick Douglass was the very first Black man to report on Congress and be allowed into the Capitol press gallery, where he was a member from 1871 to 1875. He covered the critical debates in Congress during reconstruction, including developments on the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution.

There is a plaque and a painting of Douglass in the Press Gallery. But it's past time for a permanent recognition of his groundbreaking and legendary work by renaming the House Press Gallery the Frederick Douglass Press Gallery.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting passage of this resolution.

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