IV

105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 72

Postponing the relocation of the statue known as the Portrait Monument

to the rotunda of the Capitol.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 1, 1997

Ms. MCKINNEY (for herself, Ms. CARSON, Ms. CHRISTIAN-GREEN, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. OWENS, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. THOMPSON, Mr. DELLUMS, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. HILLIARD, Mr. CLAY, Mr.

DIXON, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. STOKES, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. FLAKE, Mr. WYNN,

Mr. PAYNE, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. BISHOP, Ms. MILLENDERMCDONALD, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. SANDERS,

and Mr. CUMMINGS) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which

was referred to the Committee on House Oversight

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Postponing the relocation of the statue known as the Portrait

Monument to the rotunda of the Capitol.

Whereas the abolition movement was the wellspring of the

women’s movement which arose out of the work of

women speaking out against slavery;

Whereas historians describe 3 major waves of the women’s

movement as the women’s movement from 1848 to 1875,

the suffrage movement from 1890 to 1920, and the contemporary movement from 1966 to the present;
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Whereas Sojourner Truth was one of the 4 major pioneers

and symbols of the first women’s movement arising in

1848;

Whereas Sojourner Truth was acknowledged as a sister in

the fight for women’s rights by Elizabeth Cady Stanton,

Susan B. Anthony, and Matilda Joslyn Gage in their

History of Woman Suffrage first published in 1881;

Whereas Sojourner Truth is acclaimed as the foremost leader

in the first women’s rights movement who worked tirelessly for the laboring, working class, black and immigrant women who suffered in the workplace as well as

from their political disenfranchisement;

Whereas Sojourner Truth was an impoverished former slave

who supported herself by working as a domestic, whose

back bore the scars from a savage whipping she received

as a child slave, and whose children remained legally and

physically separated from her in slavery after her own

emancipation, yet she rose above this suffering to become

a renowned national leader in the fight against slavery

and for human rights, and to provide an inspirational

role model for children;

Whereas the effort to raise the Portrait Monument described

in House Concurrent Resolution 216, One Hundred

Fourth Congress, originated in the effort to recreate and

honor on August 19, 1995, a specific historical event, the

75th anniversary of the ratification of the nineteenth

amendment granting women’s suffrage;

Whereas the purpose of placing a statue honoring leaders of

the women’s movement in place of prominence and esteem is to commemorate for our children and for future

generations to come the contributions of all women who
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worked for equality for women and to serve as a reminder to all Americans of how our right to vote

undergrids true equality for all;

Whereas the Portrait Monument as a celebration of the first

women’s movement is historically inaccurate in its exclusion of Sojourner Truth’s pioneering efforts and contributions to the pursuit of equal rights in the first women’s movement and in the participation of women of color

to the suffrage movement; and

Whereas the Portrait Monument contains an unfinished portion whose significance and meaning has been disputed

by some historians and art curators: Now, therefore be

it,

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring),

3 SECTION 1. POSTPONING RELOCATION OF PORTRAIT

4 MONUMENT TO ROTUNDA OF THE CAPITOL.

5 Effective as of the date on which this concurrent res6 olution is agreed to, sections 1 and 2 of House Concurrent

7 Resolution 216, One Hundred Fourth Congress, shall have

8 no force or effect.

9 SEC. 2. FUNCTIONS AND MEMBERSHIP OF COMMISSION RE10 SPONSIBLE FOR SELECTING PERMANENT

11 SITE FOR PORTRAIT MONUMENT.

12 Section 3 of House Concurrent Resolution 216, One

13 Hundred Fourth Congress, shall remain in effect after

14 this concurrent resolution is agreed to, except that—
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1 (1) the membership of the Commission de2 scribed in such section shall be expanded to include

3 4 additional private citizens with knowledge of the

4 woman’s suffrage movement or the history and role

5 of women in the arts, of whom one shall be selected

6 by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, one

7 shall be selected by the Minority Leader of the

8 House of Representatives, one shall be selected by

9 the Majority Leader of the Senate, and one shall be

10 selected by the Minority Leader of the Senate; and

11 (2) the Commission described in such section

12 shall complete the functions described in paragraphs

13 (1) through (4) of such section not later than one

14 year after the date on which this concurrent resolu15 tion is agreed to.

16 SEC. 3. RECOGNITION OF THE WOMAN SUFFRAGE STATUE

17 CAMPAIGN AND THE SOJOURNER TRUTH

18 STATUE CRUSADE.

19 The Woman Suffrage Statue Campaign and all those

20 individuals and groups who supported its work are hereby

21 recognized and congratulated for their educational efforts

22 to acknowledge the contributions of Lucretia Mott, Eliza23 beth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony to women’s

24 suffrage and the 75th anniversary of the ratification of

25 the nineteenth amendment to the Constitution, and the
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1 Sojourner Truth Statue Crusade and all those individuals

2 and groups who supported its work are hereby recognized

3 and congratulated for their educational efforts to acknowl4 edge the contributions of Sojourner Truth as well as

5 Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. An6 thony to the abolitionist and women’s movements.

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