Speaker Mike Johnson pulled a cord and unveiled a plaque hanging above a door at the end of a cramped hallway on the Capitol’s third floor. For the first time, a press gallery on Capitol Hill was named after a journalist: Frederick Douglass.
Douglass’ legacy in journalism is crucial, Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said Thursday, especially in a “fractured” media landscape.
“I think if you just ask the American people, it’s pretty clear that there are various points of view throughout the media,” he said Thursday. “I think everybody’s got to challenge themselves to make sure they’re challenging their personal worldviews as they write their articles, put together a podcast or do their shows.”
“Douglass built a life and legacy off the power of his pen and his powerful voice, and the will of that power had a great effect in this institution and the halls that will now appropriately bear his name,” said Johnson, R-La.
Donalds, who is running for Florida governor, spearheaded the resolution to name the gallery after Douglass, who worked out of the House press gallery in the 19th century. Douglass escaped slavery and became an iconic abolitionist and writer who founded an anti-slavery newspaper called the North Star.
“When he started the North Star, he had a printing press, a clear voice, and a conviction that truth, when set on fire, could burn down the institution of slavery,” Donalds said. “By putting his name here, we are setting a standard for every journalist which occupies those seats.”
Donalds and Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, toured the office-like space where reporters cover Congress, passing journalists hunched over their desks and viewing the chamber floor from above. One journalist asked if Donalds would come by the gallery more often. “Uh, I try to avoid you guys,” he quipped.
Donalds’ resolution, which the House agreed to last year, also had support from Owens and some members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., was the only Democrat who attended the naming celebration.
“This is Black history, which is American history, and the fact that they’ve worked in a bipartisan way to make this happen, I wanted to be here to support my colleague and to support the history of Frederick Douglass and the contributions that he’s made to our country,” Horsford said.
“He had every reason in the world to want to deride our republic, deride our Constitution, deride this government,” Donalds said of Douglass. “He chose not to. He chose to actually stand for the ideals of this nation.”
When asked if there should be more Black reporters covering the Hill, Donalds responded: “I don’t really care what your race is.”
“What I more care about is, are you going to be deliberate about your craft, and are you going to be factual about what’s going on?”
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