New Jersey U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and U.S. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) led a Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing on their Enslaved Voyages Memorial Act, which would authorize the establishment of a memorial on federal land in the District of Columbia to honor enslaved persons, on Dec. 1.
Booker and Norton’s bill passed the House in September. The memorial, to be established by the Georgetown African American Historic Landmark Project and Tour, would honor enslaved persons’ presence, celebrate their contributions to history, and recognize their resilience and fortitude.
“In a dark chapter of our nation’s history, millions of enslaved people were brought to this land against their will. We must ensure that their stories and immense contributions are lifted up and never forgotten,” said Booker. “I applaud the House for passing my Enslaved Voyages Memorial Act and commend the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for taking up this important legislation.”
By the 19th century, nearly 12 million enslaved Africans were forcibly transported across the Atlantic. The first enslaved Africans were brought to what would become the United States in late August 1619—more than 400 years ago.
“The memorial our bill authorizes will be a powerful marker of truth-telling and remembrance, and I am proud to have gotten it passed in the House,” Norton said. “Thank you to Senator Booker for introducing the companion bill in the Senate and to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for holding this important hearing. Let us honor the personhood of these individuals, who were repeatedly assumed to have none, so that they will never be forgotten.”