Bill Details
Status
Latest action
2025-06-09 - The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
Introduced Date
2025-02-14
Policy Area
Congress
Committees
View committees (1)
Sponsors
Cosponsors
7
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This resolution honors Frederick Douglass, a formerly enslaved man who became one of the nation’s most important voices for freedom, equal rights, and women’s rights. It recognizes his work as a journalist, speaker, and Civil War recruiter for Black soldiers, along with his groundbreaking role as the first Black reporter allowed into the congressional press galleries. The resolution then renames the House Press Gallery in the U.S. Capitol in his memory, so that this important space in American journalism and lawmaking now carries his name.
- It designates the House Press Gallery rooms H-315, H-316, H-317, H-318, and H-319 as the “Frederick Douglass Press Gallery.”
- It highlights Douglass’s life story, including his escape from slavery in 1838 and his later work in Rochester, New York, and Washington, D.C.
- It recognizes his role in reporting on Congress during Reconstruction and sharing information with the Black community after the Civil War.
- It also honors his lasting place in the Capitol, including earlier recognition in the House Press Gallery and his connection to the Emancipation Memorial.
Official Summaries
This resolution designates the House of Representatives Press Gallery (rooms H-315, H-316, H-317, H-318, and H-319) as the Frederick Douglass Press Gallery.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 137 Engrossed in House (EH)]
<DOC>
H. Res. 137
In the House of Representatives, U. S.,
June 9, 2025.
Whereas Frederick Douglass was born to an enslaved family in 1818;
Whereas Douglass bravely escaped slavery in 1838, and spent much of his adult
life as a journalist in Rochester, New York;
Whereas Douglass published his first newspaper, The North Star, using his own
money in the pre-Civil War era;
Whereas Douglass was known for fiercely opposing slavery, championing equal
rights and women's rights, and for being a forceful speaker;
Whereas, during the Civil War, Douglass was a recruiter for the first African-
American Army regiment;
Whereas Douglass met twice with President Lincoln, first about the pay and
treatment of Black soldiers and then to discuss the President's desire
to assist escaping slaves;
Whereas after Douglass' Rochester home was destroyed by fire (which Douglass
believed resulted from arson), he moved his family to Anacostia in
Washington, DC;
Whereas, in 1870, Douglass was asked to become editor of the New National Era,
which chronicled the progress of Blacks throughout the United States,
and he later bought the paper;
Whereas Douglass was the first Black reporter allowed into the Capitol press
galleries, where journalists watch lawmakers on the floors of the Senate
and the House of Representatives;
Whereas Douglass was a member of the congressional press galleries from 1871-
1875;
Whereas Douglass reported on House and Senate legislation regularly to update
the African-American community during Reconstruction following the 13th,
14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution;
Whereas Douglass was recorded frequently in the congressional directory and
spent a significant amount of time writing and studying from the House
Press Gallery;
Whereas Douglass often visited the Capitol following his time as a member of the
congressional press galleries;
Whereas Douglass delivered the keynote speech at the unveiling of the
Emancipation Memorial in Washington's Lincoln Park;
Whereas, in 2007, Douglass was recognized by placing a plaque and painting of
him in his honor in the House Press Gallery;
Whereas, in 2012, Congress passed and the President signed Public Law 112-174,
which directed Frederick Douglass' statue placement in the Capitol
Visitor Center's Emancipation Hall; and
Whereas Douglass was a pioneer in journalism who broke through glass ceilings
throughout one of the most crucial times in American history, exhibited
great perseverance to become an American hero, and became a legend known
in the House Press Gallery: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House Press Gallery (Rooms H-315, H-316, H-317, H-318,
and H-319 of the United States Capitol) is designated as the ``Frederick
Douglass Press Gallery''.
Attest:
Clerk.