Norton Wants D.C. Seal to Join the State Seals in Library of Congress’s Main Reading Room

Tour and Press Briefing Tuesday

WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will lead an inspection of the Library of Congress Main Reading Room in the Thomas Jefferson Building, followed by a press briefing in the Members of Congress Room, on Tuesday, July 2, 2013, at 5:15 p.m., concerning the omission of the District of Columbia seal from the state seals on the stained-glass windows in the iconic Main Reading Room. The inspection will take place after regular hours for the Main Reading Room so that the press can film the room and the stained-glass display. Norton will be accompanied by Luis Landau, a D.C. resident and former docent at the Library of Congress, who informed Norton earlier this month that the seals of the states, including some states that were territories at the time when the building was constructed, are depicted, except for the District. In addition to D.C.'s omission, the only currently unrepresented states from the stained-glass display are Hawaii and Alaska, because they were not states or territories when the building was constructed. Norton noted that their state seals nevertheless will be added as part of a larger stained-glass restoration project.

"We should all be grateful to Luis Landau for spotting the omission of our city and calling it out," said Norton. "Not only was the District of Columbia part of the Union when the building was constructed, but it was and remains the home of the Library of Congress. This District did not have local self-government at the time or a member of Congress to raise the issue."

Last week, Norton wrote the Chair and Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on the Library and the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) calling on them to take the necessary action to depict the seal of the District of Columbia on the stained-glass windows in the Main Reading Room. A contract has been awarded for a full restoration of the stained-glass, which includes designs for the Alaska and Hawaii state seals, but the project will likely be spread over the next several years. Fortunately, the AOC has the authority to expand the contract to include the D.C. seal.

Norton has successfully fought to correct the omission of the District of Columbia and its residents from symbols of American citizenship, with two victories in this year alone. Just two weeks ago, Norton got the District's first-ever statue unveiled in the U.S. Capitol, as the congressional leadership and a large audience celebrated. D.C.'s Frederick Douglass statue now sits in the Capitol alongside the statues from the 50 states. In January, the President signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, which contained Norton's bill requiring the armed services to display the District of Columbia flag whenever the flags of the states are displayed. In prior years, Norton succeeded in getting legislation enacted to give D.C. a coin after it was omitted from legislation creating coins for the 50 states, working with the U.S. Postal Service to create a D.C. stamp, like the stamps for the 50 states, and working with Union Station to fly the D.C. flag alongside the state flags.

Published: July 1, 2013