September 22, 2005
Norton Wants Statues for D.C.
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), our non-voting representative in the U.S. Congress, yesterday requested that the District be allowed to place two statues in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall, at right, where each state is granted the right to place two statues of prominent citizens. The request came during a debate on New Mexico's request to place a statue of Po'pay, a Native American leader who launched what has been called "the first American Revolution" against the Spanish in 1680, in the hall. Said Norton:
The District of Columbia was born with the nation itself. The city has more than two centuries of its very own rich and uniquely American history. The District boasts distinguished figures in history from whom selections for statues could readily be made. It should go without saying that the almost 600,000 American citizens who live in the nation's capital deserve the honor of having two of their history makers represented in the Capitol as citizens of New Mexico and all 50 states have long enjoyed. D.C. residents have not yet obtained the same full political equality and voting rights as states, but they have always had every one of the responsibilities of the states, including paying all federal taxes and serving in all wars. Every time we allow the District to be excluded from its place among the 50 states, we undermine our own leadership role for democracy around the world. Authorizing two District statues has special importance for our residents because the statues would be seen by million of visitors every year, reinforcing our proud citizenship and unity with other Americans, whose historical figures are commemorated.DCist fully endorses this idea, yet remains curious as to who would qualify to represent the District in the hall. Pierre L'Enfant, who designed the city? Jazz legend Duke Ellington? Our first elected mayor, Walter Washington? Mayor-for-life Marion Barry?
Who do you think should be immortalized by the District in Statuary Hall?
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Dave Chappelle and Henry Rollins of course.
Ian MacKaye. Clearly.
The Beloved Ronald Wilson Reagan. For both statues.
Frederick Douglass, presumably. And was L'Enfant a Washingtonian?
Chuck Brown owns this town.
Toussaint
Douglass wasn't born in DC, so I don't count him.
One of each: scientist and artist:
Duke Ellington and Shirley Ann Jackson.
Or Jean Toomer and Charles R. Drew.
How about Anna Julia Cooper and The Duke?
Blelvis, natch.
No one. I vote for giving the whole city back to Maryland. :P
about giving dc back to maryland:
as long as we get to keep our liquor stores!
actually i dont think maryland would take us. i mean where would they drive to in order to dump stuff outta their cars?
Ben "Chilli Bowl" Ali and Duke Ellington.
Or maybe Borf...? ;)
Thank God for Eleanor. I mean, not having DC statues is like being denied basic rights as a citizen of this country...oh wait, that sort of applies to us as well. Maybe she'll tackle that one next week.
The webpage for the Hall, http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/index.cfm , shows that there are some pretty interesting people in there, including several traitors. Jefferson Davis, James Zachariah George, Wade Hampton, and Robert E. Lee all have statues in the Capitol. What a disgrace.
Our statues should be Mary Church Terrell and Sterling Brown.
wasnt robert e lee a traitor and enemy of the US?
Douglass wasn't born in DC, so I don't count him.
Wow. That's pretty ridiculous. He was a prominent citizen of Anacostia and served in several DC-government posts. He was clearly more involved with the city than your average transient politico.
It's a good thing, I suppose, that Baltimore doesn't subscribe to your purity-of-birth logic, because they'd have to give up John Waters. And rename their football team.
What about Dave Chappelle? Does he count? Or is he polluted by the fact that he lived in Silver Spring and Ohio?
I really, really, really hope the Borf comment was joke.
And speaking of Blelvis, has anyone seen him lately? I haven't seen him around for a couple of months now. If anyone deserves to be immortalized in Statuary Hall, it's him.
Seeing as how most of the countries prominent politicians have lived in DC for significant periods of time, I can see the need for distinction between transplants and actual residents. However I'd place Douglas in the former category.
Two emblematic DCers for representative statues? Easy.
Compliment Man and Asian-Gospel-Singer-on-the-Metro Guy...
Holy crap, I forgot about Asian-Gospel-Singer-on-the-Metro Guy. Is he still out there?
Favorite Son Stephen Colbert and his Favorite Foil... None other than Eleanor Holmes Norton Herself... ;-)