Senate Urged to Drop Segregationist's Name from Office Building, Revert to 'Old Senate Office Building'

This resolution is the House of Representatives sending a very clear message to the Senate: it’s time to change the name of the Russell Senate Office Building. The core argument is that the building’s namesake, former Senator Richard B. Russell, has a documented history of opposing civil rights and actively supporting racial segregation and White supremacy, which the resolution argues is fundamentally incompatible with current federal law and values.

The Case for Renaming

Think of this as a formal eviction notice for a historical figure. The resolution doesn't mince words, laying out Russell's record with specific examples. He led a six-day filibuster against an anti-lynching bill in 1935 and later drafted the original version of the Southern Manifesto in 1956, which was essentially a declaration of resistance to the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education ruling. The resolution points out that even though the Senate voted to name the building after him in 1972, federal law (Public Law 115-58) now explicitly rejects White nationalism and White supremacy. The House is essentially asking: How can we honor someone whose legacy directly contradicts our current laws?

What This Means for Federal Property

This isn't just about changing a plaque; it’s about setting a standard for who gets memorialized on federal property. For every person who walks into a government building, these names serve as a subtle endorsement. The resolution condemns the use of statues, memorials, or artwork to honor any lawmaker who actively rejected the core principle that all people are created equal. This move signals that the U.S. government is actively reviewing its historical endorsements and taking steps to align its public spaces with its stated commitment to equality. It’s a quiet but significant shift in how history is honored.

The Immediate Action Required

The resolution calls for the Senate to act immediately. The building’s name should be removed and reverted to its original, neutral title: the Old Senate Office Building. This temporary measure would hold until a more suitable person is selected to honor. For people who work on Capitol Hill, this means changing letterheads, updating maps, and shifting the daily vocabulary around where they work. But more importantly, it means that the space itself will no longer carry the baggage of a historical figure who fought against the civil rights of millions of Americans. While some may argue that this is an attempt to erase history, the resolution simply contends that the government should not be in the business of honoring those who actively worked to deny equality.