Congresswoman Beatty to Preside Over Own Bill to #RemoveHate from Capitol

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) will serve as Speaker Pro Tempore when the U.S. House of Representatives debates H.R. 3005, legislation to remove the bust of former Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney from the U.S. Capitol building and replace it with a bust of former Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall. If enacted, the bill would also remove from public display in the Capitol complex statues or busts that are symbols of slavery and segregation, including those of individuals who served voluntarily in the Confederate States of America. Ahead of wielding the gavel, Beatty issued the following statement:

"Hate has no place in society, let alone the Halls of Congress. As Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, I am honored to lead the ‘Conscience of Congress' as we continue our work to ‘form a more perfect Union' for all Americans, and I can't think of a better person who dedicated his life to that principle than Justice Thurgood Marshall. I call on all my colleagues—Democratic and Republican—to support this measure and guarantee that the People's House reflects the very best of America."

Of note, Roger B. Taney was the chief justice who wrote the Supreme Court's Dred Scott v. Sandford decision that denied citizenship and constitutional protections for all African Americans. Thurgood Marshall was a noted lawyer and civil rights advocate who successfully argued several cases before the Supreme Court, including Brown v. Board of Education. He would later become the first African American Supreme Court Justice in 1967.

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