Media Contact: Patrick Wright -- Patrick.Wright@mail.house.gov
Washington, D.C. — Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. voted today for a bill to remove all the busts and statutes of members of the Confederate Army and three white supremacists from the U.S. Capitol. In addition, the bill, H.R. 3005, replaces the bust of Roger Taney, a racist former Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, with one of Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice.
“Bigotry and hatred have no place in the U.S. Capitol Building,” said Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. “When Americans and tourists come to the Capitol, we need to show them historical figures who represent our country’s values. Racism has been a tragic part of our history since we became a country. We do not need to celebrate racists in the hallowed halls of Congress.”
Today, the Old Supreme Court Chamber contains the bust of Chief Justice Taney, the justice who authored the infamous decision in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case that stated Black Americans were not U.S. citizens. In addition, he was a strong supporter of slavery. The decision helped bring about the American Civil War. Other than Taney, the bill removes statutes of white supremacists Charles Brantley Aycock, James Paul Clarke, and John Caldwell Calhoun. The removal of Calhoun is significant as he was a former U.S. Vice President, Secretary of State, Senator, Representative and presidential candidate.
The bust of Supreme Court Justice Marshall will replace Taney. Mr. Marshall is one of the most important civil rights lawyers and leaders in U.S. history. He established the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund to help African Americans seek justice and argued the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case, which outlawed racial segregation in public schools. For his work, Mr. Marshall was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1961.
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