Representative James Clyburn (D-S.C.), speaks at a hearing of the House Select Subcommittee regarding the Coronavirus Crisis on Capitol Hill, Washington, May 19, 2021. Stefani Reynolds/The New York Times via APHoyer spoke on Tuesday to the House floor, referring to the Jan. 6 insurrection in a moment of watershed. However, Hoyer stated that African Americans who have worked for decades in the Capitol are all too familiar the feeling of being defiled in this sacred space.They are reminded of the past when they look into the Roger Brooke Taney marbled Roger Brooke Taney's solemn Supreme Court chamber.It would also ban any statues or busts depicting Confederacy members from being displayed in public places at the Capitol. It would also remove John C. Calhoun (North Carolina Governor) as Vice President. Charles B. Aycock, Arkansas Senator John P. Clarke and others supported slavery and white supremacy. The Capitol collection contains 12 Confederate statues.Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader, announced that he would vote in favor of the bill on Tuesday. However, he also stressed that all statues being taken by the bill are statues belonging to Democrats. Rep. Karen Bass (D.Calif.), then asked her Republican colleagues if they were aware of the entire history of civil rights and the transformations of the two parties.Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty ImagesAs the House struggles with extremism within its ranks, the vote is timely. McCarthy will be dealing with a far right Republican who is believed to have ties with white nationalists this week. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., will attend a fundraiser alongside Nick Fuentes (a white nationalist who is the organizer of America First Political Action Conference). Gosar denied the reports.Similar legislation by Hoyer was passed in the House with over 300 votes 72 from Republicans last summer. The legislation was not adopted by the Republican-controlled Senate.Hoyer introduced the legislation again in May. He said it was never too late to do right by the people. However, the Senate's slim Democratic majority will likely mean that it will face the same fate.Lawmakers cheered Tuesday's passage again. This effort was rekindled last summer when protesters demanded justice for George Floyd's police shooting. It also fuelled discussions about the place of Confederate symbols within public spaces.Hoyer tweeted that he was proud of his colleagues' vote to #RemoveHate at the Capitol today. Today's vote was a vote for justice and equality that were the foundation of our nation. We don't tolerate hate, racism, or bigotry.Senator Amy Klobuchar (D.Minn.), also praised Tuesday's Houses move and said that she was looking forward to working with the Senate on its passage.It has been a long time since we removed confederate statues at the Capitol. Klobuchar stated in a statement that public spaces should reflect our fight for liberty, justice for all Confederacy symbols and not be hateful. "Now that the legislation has been passed by the House, I look forward working towards its swift passage in Senate.Democratic legislators have had to deal with the tricky issue of Confederate statues being placed in the Capitol. Congress asked states to send two statues in 1864 to be included in the National Statuary Hall collection. The legislative body doesn't have the power to replace them.Many states have replaced their statues without question. Virginia's recall of Robert E. Lee's statue and its replacement with Barbara Johns, a civil rights leader, is one example. North Carolina also plans to replace Aycock's statue, which was prominently dominated by White supremacist leaders in the state, and put it alongside that of the Rev. Billy Graham. The architect of the Capitol would be able to remove the statues from the public if Hoyers bill is passed by the Senate.On Tuesday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi mentioned another piece of legislation, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. It is currently hung up in Senate. She asked members to discuss how they can end racism. She noted that legislation relating to police reform is one way to go, even if we allow those who are the most racist to be celebrated in the halls.This report was contributed by Sarah Ferris and Nicholas Wu
