Enslaved Voyages Memorial Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4009) to authorize the Georgetown African American Historic Landmark Project and Tour to establish a commemorative work in the District of Columbia and its environs, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4009, the Enslaved Voyages Memorial Act, introduced by my colleague, Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton.

This bill will authorize the establishment of a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia and its surroundings commemorating the enslaved individuals who disembarked here after forced migration by way of the transatlantic slave trade.

This memorial will honor the lives of all enslaved individuals, celebrate their contributions to our history, and recognize their remarkable resilience and fortitude throughout four centuries of slavery.

During this time period, enslavers forced the transport of 12.5 million captive Africans to sell in the Americas. The Georgetown waterfront has an extensive and long-neglected history of involvement in the slave trade. In fact, 1,475 enslaved individuals disembarked at the Georgetown waterfront while the institution of slavery grew on this continent.

Establishing a memorial to honor those who were enslaved will create a powerful site of truth-telling and remembrance.

I thank my colleague, Delegate Norton, for introducing this important and significant piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), who is the principal sponsor of the legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill along with the other suspension bills that we have worked with Chairman Grijalva to get on the floor today.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to recognize the dedicated service of one of my staff members, Terry Camp, who will be leaving us next month.

Known affectionately as ``Turbo'' by his colleagues, he has certainly lived up to that nickname. Since starting on the House Committee on Natural Resources in 2015, Terry has had a hand in nearly 60 bills that have been signed into law. This total doesn't even account for the countless bills he has been a part of that have been enacted as part of various legislative packages.

While this is an impressive total, it doesn't even come close to the number of now-famous Capitol tours he has given, which he offers in both English and Spanish.

As our national parks staffer, he has visited numerous national park units throughout his tenure, frequently stopping by any nearby units on family vacations. That dedication has led to the creation of many new bills, including the Save the Liberty Theater Act which was signed into law earlier this year.

Terry's passion for public service is perhaps surpassed only by his passion for the Utah State University Aggies.

Terry exemplifies the guiding principles of my office by always abiding in love, competing to win, and succeeding through service. While we will miss him in the Halls of Congress, we wish him, his wife, Kayla, and their son, Elijah, all the best as they start the next chapter of their lives back in their home State of Utah.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4009 offered by Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, which authorizes the Georgetown African American Historic Landmark Project and Tour to establish a work on Federal land in Washington, D.C., to commemorate the enslaved individuals, whose identities may be known or unknown, who endured the forced voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States during the Middle Passage.

This effort is being championed by the Georgetown African American Historic Landmark Project, a community-based nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring the enslaved and free African Americans who worked in, lived in, and built Georgetown.

In 2019, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization designated the Georgetown waterfront as a site of memory for historical places associated with slavery.

The bill requires the Georgetown African American Historic Landmark Project and Tour to follow the standard legal framework established by the Commemorative Works Act Committee. This is a great effort, and I applaud Delegate Holmes Norton for her leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman).

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, Chairman Grijalva, for yielding, and I thank him and Chairman Neguse for bringing this bill to the floor.

This bill would authorize the Georgetown African American Historic Landmark Project and Tour to establish a memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia commemorating the enslaved individuals who endured forced migration to the United States by way of the transatlantic slave trade. The National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission unanimously supported this bill, and it passed out of committee by unanimous consent.

We must not hide this history. Enslaved individuals, known and unknown, rest at the core of our Nation's history. The atrocities of the system of chattel slavery shed light on our Nation's central struggle between slavery and freedom--a freedom under which some could be owned, beaten, separated from their families, and denied any rights.

This bill provides for the creation of a powerful marker of truth- telling and remembrance. Let us honor the personhood of these individuals who were repeatedly assumed to have none so that they will never be forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to section 2 of House Resolution 1361, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bills: H.R. 1433, H.R. 4009, H.R. 4358, H.R. 6265, H.R. 6846, H.R. 7240, H.R. 7338, H.R. 8453, H.R. 8503, and H.R. 8520; and agree to H. Res. 558.