WASHINGTON – A statue of Frederick Douglass will soon be moved to the United States Capitol alongside statues of luminaries from the 50 states, and District of Columbia leaders celebrated the relocation in a Black History Month event on Monday night.

Every state has two statues in the Capitol, but the district’s statues of Douglass and architect Pierre L’Enfant are located at One Judiciary Square, a city government building. Last year, Congress approved a resolution sponsored by Norton to move the Douglass statue.

A longtime district resident, Douglass was a former slave who became an abolitionist leader. Norton has asked Senate leaders to dedicate the statue this month in celebration of Black History Month.

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