Joint Statement of House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL), Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN), House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) on Slave Labor Task Force
Joint Statement of House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL), Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN), House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)
Contact: Brendan Daly, 202-226-7616
House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL), Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN), House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) today announced the establishment of a Special Task Force to Study the History and Contributions of Slave Laborers in the Construction of the U.S. Capitol. This task force is a result of legislation passed previously and will make recommendations to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate for appropriate recognition of the efforts of these slave laborers.
"It is our hope that the work of the task force will shed light on this part of our history, the building of our nation's greatest symbol of democracy. The time to recognize this work is long overdue and we look forward to the recommendations of the task force," the Congressional Leadership said.
Members of the task force will include:
- U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA)
- U.S. Senator Blanche L. Lincoln (D-AR)
- U.S. Representative John Lewis (D-GA)
- Former U.S. Representative J.C. Watts (R-OK)
- Dr. Currie Ballard, Langston University, Professor/Historian
- Dr. Bettye Gardner, Historian, Association for the Study of Afro-America Life and History
- Mrs. Virginia Walden-Ford
- Mr. Curtis Sykes
Ex-Officio Members
- Dr. James Billington, Librarian of Congress
- Mr. Alan Hantman, Architect of the Capitol
- Dr. Richard Baker, Senate Historian
- Dr. Robert V. Remini, House Historian