|
Rep.
John
Lewis,
D-Ga.,
attends
a
ceremony
to
commemorate
the
400th
anniversary
of the
first
recorded
arrival
of
enslaved
African
people
in
America,
Tuesday,
Sept.
10,
2019, on
Capitol
Hill in
Washington.
(AP
Photo/Patrick
Semansky) |
|
Congress
marks
400th
anniversary
of
enslaved
people
arriving
in US
By
LISA
MASCARO
apnews.com
WASHINGTON
-
Members
of
Congress
observed
the
400th
anniversary
Tuesday
of the
arrival
of the
first
enslaved
Africans
in
America
at a
time of
renewed
interest
over the
history
of
slavery
and its
continued
impact
on
contemporary
society.
“We
must
tell the
unvarnished
truth,”
Speaker
Nancy
Pelosi
said
during
the
ceremony
at the
Capitol.
The
commemoration
was held
in
Emancipation
Hall,
which is
named
for the
contributions
of
enslaved
laborers
who
helped
build
the
Capitol
and, as
Pelosi
said,
“gave
the
world
this
beacon
of
hope.”
The
observance
was
organized
by the
Congressional
Black
Caucus
as part
of
events
this
year
marking
the 400
years
since
the
enslaved
people
were
brought
to
America
in
August
1619.
Questions
about
income
inequality,
reparations
for
slavery
and
other
issues
from the
nation’s
history
of
enslaving
people
are
spilling
into
politics
and
culture
with a
reckoning
not seen
since
the
Civil
Rights
era.
The
Republican
leader
of the
House,
Rep.
Kevin
McCarthy
of
California,
said
slavery
in
America
led to
“many
shameful
moments”
in the
country,
including
in
Congress.
“Our
nation
isn’t
perfect
and
there’s
more
progress
to
make,”
McCarthy
said.
Senate
Majority
Leader
Mitch
McConnell,
R-Ky.,
did not
attend
the
ceremony
but said
as he
opened
the
Senate
that
slavery
was in
many
ways the
country’s
“original
sin.”
McConnell’s
own
family
history
came
under
question
earlier
this
year
after it
was
revealed
his
ancestors
reportedly
owned
slaves
generations
ago. On
Tuesday,
he said,
while
progress
has been
made,
“change
has come
too
slow.”
Pelosi
called
for
passage
of the
Voting
Rights
Act,
legislation
that is
part of
a
package
of House
Democratic
priorities
for
Congress,
ahead of
the 2020
election.
Rep.
Karen
Bass,
D-Ca.,
the
chairwoman
of the
Congressional
Black
Caucus,
called
on
colleagues
to
examine
and
embrace
all
parts of
the
nation’s
history.
“We
are so
fortunate
to live
in this
amazing
country
with our
incredible
history,”
Bass
said.
“All of
our
history
is what
makes
this
country
a great
country,”
she
said,
and
encourages
all
Americans
to
contribute
to the
“fight
to build
a more
perfect
union.”
|
|
|
|
|
|