Officials pay tribute to Frederick Douglass, unveil statue

Vice President Joe Biden is hailing Frederick Douglass for his work to bring about equal justice, leading a series of tributes at the unveiling of a statue of the 19th-century orator and writer.

Biden, along with Democratic Sen. Harry Reid and Democratic Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, used the U.S. Capitol ceremony to call for equal voting rights for citizens of the District of Columbia -- an issue dear to Douglass' heart.

Biden said the people of the District "made the right choice" in selecting Douglass as their representative.

The 7-foot bronze likeness of Douglass joins sculpted statues of fellow black leaders Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr. and Sojourner Truth in Emancipation Hall.

Douglass was born a slave in 1818 in Talbot County, Md. and advised President Abraham Lincoln.