Bill Clinton: “Mr. President it gives me pride and pleasure to introduce revised legislation that will enable the Joint Committee on…”

“Mr. President it gives me pride and pleasure to introduce revised legislation that will enable the Joint Committee on the Library to display a bust depicting Sojourner Truth in the Capitol Building. I began this effort with legislation I introduced 2 years ago during the 108th Congress. Because my colleagues in the other body and I were not able to enact our bill that time, we return in the 109th Congress with new legislation which would direct the Joint Committee on the Library to accept the donation of a bust depicting Sojourner Truth and to display the bust in a suitable location in the Capitol. I now lay down this version of the bill that reflects bipartisan support among leaders who share the goal of honoring this important figure in our Nation's and New York State's history. Sojourner Truth was born into slavery in New York's Hudson Valley in 1797, She moved to New York City after gaining her freedom in 1826 and by 1843 had changed her name to Sojourner Truth, traveling the country preaching for human rights. After attending the 1850 National Woman's Rights Convention, Truth made women's suffrage a focal point of her speeches, portraying women as powerful, independent figures. Her most famous speech, ``Ain't I a Woman,'' given at the 1851 Women's Rights Convention in Akron, OH, has become a classic text on women's rights.…”