Accountability record
Where Richard J. Durbin stands on Smithsonian independence and federal history oversight
See what they have said and done—and where the information comes from.
Richard J. Durbin
IL · U.S. Senate
Where they stand
On the recordDurbin’s cited public remarks address the historical significance of civil-rights struggles, voting rights, democratic inclusion, emancipation, and slavery.
Position details
Protect full Smithsonian history, including slavery, racism, Indigenous history, and excluded groups
SupportsRichard J. Durbin supports recognizing the historical significance of the Selma civil-rights movement, voting rights, emancipation, and the experiences of enslaved Americans.
The cited remarks address Selma, voting rights, emancipation, slavery, and systemic racism; they do not establish a general position on presenting all excluded groups or on Smithsonian exhibits, museum governance, or federal oversight.
Sources for this position
How we reached this answer
This answer uses the specific statements and actions below. We consider what each bill or vote actually did; a bill number by itself is not treated as a position.
What they said
“As we think about Selma, Alabama, we think about more than just that picture of people coming over the bridge. We think of the reason they were coming over that bridge - to vote, to be a part of America, to have an op…”
Read the full statement (opens in a new tab)“They learned of their freedom on June 19, 1865-two months after the Civil War ended-when Army Major General Gordon Granger and 2,000 Union troops marched into Galveston, Texas, with orders to enforce the Emancipation…”
Read the full statement (opens in a new tab)
We checked 26 of 26 bills Modern Action tracks on this subject.
Full record
What they have said and done
Newest records with confirmed dates appear first.
- What they’ve said· Official congressional website
Durbin speaks on senate floor on eve of bloody sunday anniversary underscores continued efforts to protect voting rights
“As we think about Selma, Alabama, we think about more than just that picture of people coming over the bridge. We think of the reason they were coming over that bridge - to vote, to be a part of America, to have an opportunity to speak in a democracy.”
- What they’ve said· Official congressional website
Durbin commemorates juneteenth calls out filibuster as tool to hinder civil rights legislation
“They learned of their freedom on June 19, 1865-two months after the Civil War ended-when Army Major General Gordon Granger and 2,000 Union troops marched into Galveston, Texas, with orders to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation.”