Norton Introduces Bill to Bring Second D.C. Statue to Capitol, Giving the District its Rightful, Equal Place
WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today introduced a bill to permit the District of Columbia to place its second statue honoring a D.C. historic figure in the U.S. Capitol building, to match the two statues honoring citizens of each state. The D.C. Commission on Arts and Humanities in 2006 chose and commissioned statues for Pierre L'Enfant, an architect and engineer who designed the city, and Frederick Douglass, the abolitionist whose statue Norton got into the Capitol last year, a breakthrough after years of opposition because D.C. is not a state. The L’Enfant statue currently resides in One Judiciary Square. Norton’s bill offers District residents the opportunity to enjoy the same pride that all other American citizens experience when they come to their Capitol – the opportunity to view statues that commemorate the efforts of deceased local residents who have made significant contributions to American history.
"Every time we allow the District to be excluded from its place among the 50 states, we undermine the nation's credibility as it seeks to spread full democracy around the world," Norton said. "Our first statue in the Capitol acknowledged our place among the states as we strive for the same political equality, self-government, voting rights and statehood as the citizens of the states. D.C. residents carry all the responsibilities of the states, including paying all federal taxes and serving in all wars, and therefore our residents deserve the full complement of statues permitted the states to match the full taxes and responsibilities they share as American citizens.”
After years of rebuffs by opponents of D.C. statehood, Norton last Congress got her bill passed that treats D.C. like the 50 states by bringing a statue of Frederick Douglass representing the District to the Capitol. Douglass, whose statue is one of four statues or busts in the Capitol that honors an African American, was known as an abolitionist and an international human rights champion, but he also served in D.C. posts and was a militant fighter for equal citizenship for D.C. residents. D.C. is now the only jurisdiction that is not yet a state to have a statue in the Capitol, along with the 50 states. House and Senate Republican and Democratic leadership sponsored the unveiling of D.C.’s Douglass statue last year, with Vice President Joe Biden and members of the Douglass family joining Norton and others to speak at the ceremony. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) used the occasion to announce that he was cosponsoring the Senate companion to Norton’s D.C. statehood bill, a rare act for a Majority Leader, who cosponsor few bills. With the latest addition of Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) as a cosponsor to the bill earlier this month, the top four Senate Democratic Party leaders have now cosponsored the statehood bill.
Published: March 27, 2014