A statue of educator and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune was dedicated as part of Congress’s National Statuary Hall. She is the first African American to be represented in the coll…
1,243 viewsThe Congressional Black Caucus hosted a ceremony marking the 400th anniversary of the first enslaved Africans to arrive in British North America. Participants included House Speaker Nancy Pe…
553 viewsHouse and Senate leaders posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the victims of the 1963 16th St. Baptist Church bombing. On September 15, 1963, shortly after the March on Washi…
604 viewsPresident Obama and congressional leaders spoke at a ceremony in Emancipation Hall to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the 13th Amendment, which formally abolished sl…
2,464 viewsA funeral service was held in Washington National Cathedral for former Senator Edward Brooke (R-MA), the first African American to be popularly elected to the U.S. Senate. He died January 3,…
2,636 viewsHouse and Senate leaders posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to Martin Luther King, Jr., and Coretta Scott King at a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights A…
2,230 viewsDignitaries spoke at a ceremony honoring the 50th anniversary of the August 28, 1963, March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Following the invocation and the presentation of the colors, c…
690 viewsA statue of abolitionist, author, and statesman Frederick Douglass was unveiled and dedicated in Emancipation Hall in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. The ceremony included invocations, colo…
960 viewsA statue of Rosa Parks was unveiled and dedicated in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol. She was the first African-American woman to have a statue in her honor in the Capitol. President Obama…
1,325 viewsHouse and Senate leaders awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to honor the service of the Montford Point Marines, the first African Americans to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps. They received…
1,581 viewsMany slaves helped build the U.S. Capitol, including Philip Reid, who supervised the casting of the bronze statue which stands on the Capitol dome. Recently, House and Senate leaders reflect…
522 viewsA ceremony was held honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., the day before the 40th anniversary of his death on April 4, 1968. Following the invocation and the Presentation of the Colors, family m…
675 viewsMembers of Congress participated in an unveiling ceremony for plaques to recognize the contributions of enslaved African Americans in the construction of the United States Capitol.
622 viewsA ceremony was held to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the March on Washington in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall with speeches by many dignitaries. The event included music and Martin Lu…
284 views
