African American contributions to American culture. A bill introduced in 1928 called for just such a structure: This bill led to hearings in Congress, spearheaded by Representative J. Will Taylor and activist Ferdinand Lee Barnett. The hearings included a wide variety of witness testimony in favor of the memorial, with opposition primarily rooted in the idea that a memorial could constitute undue favorable treatment towards Black people over members of other races. The bill eventually passed both the House and Senate and was signed into law by President Calvin Coolidge on March 4, 1929. References 1915 establishments in the United States