On the recordDecember 17, 2020
On December 4, Speaker Pelosi and Congressman Clyburn announced the unveiling of a new exhibit in the Capitol that pays tribute to Joseph Rainey, the first Black Member of the House of Representatives. He served from 1869 until 1879. He was the first African American to preside over the House, and he was the longest-serving Black lawmaker in Congress during Reconstruction. In fact, he was a founding member of the South Carolina Republican Party. Two other Republicans, George White and Jefferson Long, made history as the first Black Members of Congress from North Carolina and Georgia during the same period. George White, from North Carolina, was a staunch advocate for other Black Republicans in the State and often took Democrats to task for not accepting the values that other Black Republicans held as well. Their stories deserve due recognition, and they also serve as reminders that political affiliations of any type are based on the values that one espouses, not just the color of one's skin or sex. It is unfortunate that more Black Republicans are not elected to the House of Representatives or to the Senate. That is because Black Republicans have been attacked repeatedly by the Democratic Party and their friends in the mainstream media. Mr. Speaker, even now, Democrats are still peddling a facade of being the party of the people. However, their outright rejection of those who hold different beliefs just goes to show how contradictory the party truly is.…
