Accepting and Depicting Frederick Douglass Statue

Floor Speech

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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, 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.

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