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.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 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 Capitol Visitor Center.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6336, a bill that I had the privilege to introduce with my esteemed colleague, the representative from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton). This bill appropriately places a statue of Frederick Douglass into Emancipation Hall in the U.S. Congress.

Frederick Douglass is a pivotal figure in American history who had an unyielding dedication to equal rights,

the abolition of slavery, and the advancement of women's suffrage. In addition to a gripping personal saga detailing his flight from slavery to freedom, Frederick Douglass inspired a nation through both his compelling antislavery writings and his rhetoric.

Published in 1845, his eloquent autobiography ``Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave'' undercut pro-slavery arguments. He challenged enslavement, and he inspired individuals seeking their freedom.

After the Civil War, he served in a number of government positions and became the first African American to receive a vote for nomination as President of the United States at the 1888 Republican National Convention--yes, I would repeat, the Republican National Convention. He was a proud Republican.

Mr. Speaker, September 22 marks the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln signing the preliminary proclamation that paved the way for the Emancipation Proclamation to be signed on January 1, 1863. How fitting that a statue honoring Frederick Douglass, a man who brought freedom to so many, will be on display in Emancipation Hall.

In considering the remarkable achievements of Frederick Douglass and his contributions to our rich history, his presence within the U.S. Capitol will honor this institution and serve as an endearing testimony to the struggle for freedom and equality.

I would like to thank again my colleague, the Congresswoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton). I know she, unfortunately, couldn't be here today because I know she has a requirement to teach a class; otherwise, she would be here. But I wanted to thank her for her tireless work to bring this statue to the Capitol, as well as our counterparts in the Senate, the Senate Rules Committee. As many know, Senator Schumer introduced the companion legislation in the Senate. I thank my ranking member for his support in this effort.

I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I look forward to welcoming the statue of Frederick Douglass to Emancipation Hall very soon.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

One of the great things about Frederick Douglass is that he inspired a nation not only by the example of his lifetime in releasing the bonds of slavery and becoming a free man, but he was self-educated. He was a great orator, a great writer, a great inspiration to this country.

There's not too many people that you can talk about that actually can take credit, tremendous credit, for the passage of three amendments to the U.S. Constitution--13th, 14th, and 15th. There's not many people who were on the right side of history in such a tremendous way, someone who not only worked to encourage African Americans to fight in the Civil War on the side of freedom, but also later on to work to ensure that the message of freedom that was the promise of both our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution was embodied specifically in the Constitution by these amendments.

He was a powerful man who was very proud of his history and proud of his place in history in terms of leading a political movement and showing that African Americans were not just freed slaves that somehow got their freedom at the suffrage of the other members of society, but that they fought for it, they struggled for it, and they had both physical courage and intellectual power that inspired the Nation to recognize the fact that we had fallen so far short of the promise of our Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

I'm afraid that too many young people today don't know the story of Frederick Douglass. In a small way, this may help to rekindle the interest in Frederick Douglass so that when the young people come here to this Capitol, as they often do, and they look at the statues and they ask who is that and what did he do or what did she do, people can now look proudly to the statue of Frederick Douglass and explain what it is he did and why his powerful legacy is still an inspiration to all of us today.

So I would hope that our Members would unanimously support this legislation and that we would soon see Frederick Douglass return to the United States Capitol in this way.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

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.

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. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 6336, and to express my deep gratitude to Chairman Dan Lungren for introducing the bill, for consulting with me on it, and for bringing it to the House floor. I would also like to thank Senator Dick Durbin for including a provision in the Senate Appropriations Committee-passed fiscal year 2013 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill to place the Frederick Douglass statue in the U.S. Capitol and Senator Charles Schumer for introducing the Senate companion to H.R. 6336.

The District of Columbia government commissioned the Douglass statue, with the intention of giving it to the American people as a gift to be displayed in the Capitol. Douglass, an iconic leader for equal rights for African Americans and women and an internationally celebrated human rights advocate, spent much of his life as a D.C. resident and served as a local public official. His home in Southeast D.C., which is now the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, sits only a few miles from the Capitol. Since the statue was completed in 2007, I have been pursuing legislation to have Congress accept the District's gift. When Congress built the Capitol Visitor Center, it named the main room ``Emancipation Hall'' in honor of the slaves who helped to build the Capitol. Nevertheless, the Capitol still has a long way to go in telling the nation's story, including the role of African Americans in U.S. history. Currently, there are 180 statues and busts in the Capitol, and the Douglass statue would only be the third portraying an African American.

The time has come for the Congress to accept the District of Columbia's gift. I urge the House to pass the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I also urge support for H.R. 6336, to direct the Joint Committee on the Library to accept the statue of Frederick Douglass and provide for its permanent display in Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center.

Often considered the father of the civil rights movement, Frederick Douglass' place in history was earned with deep-seated courage and an unshakable belief in the equality of all human beings. A former slave, Douglass went on to become one of the most prominent figures of the movement to free the slaves. His statue should serve as a reminder to millions of visitors to this great place of both how far we've come and how far we still have to go.

Mr. Speaker, I'd also like to thank my chairman, Mr. Lungren, for his patience--this was a long time coming--and his negotiations and for his respect, and also for his unyielding cooperation.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.