Tony Hall: “today, on a date African Americans celebrate as their second Independence Day, I am introducing a resolution. This bill…”

“today, on a date African Americans celebrate as their second Independence Day, I am introducing a resolution. This bill would put Congress on record as apologizing for all of our country and this institution and what they did to promote and sustain slavery and its terrible legacy. This building we work in and revere as one of the world's monuments to freedom and democracy, it is a place where much good has been done, but it is also one of the sites of one of the history's great wrongs, and that is slavery. Mr. Speaker, this building we revere was partly built by slaves, people who suffered terrible wrongs, people I believe our Nation owes an apology. I was surprised to learn that, despite the Civil War and despite the landmark civil rights legislation, despite all that has happened in the 135 years since the last slaves learned they were free, our Nation has never apologized for the savage institution of slavery. I urge all of our colleagues to look in their hearts and support this bill.”