In February 2017, shortly after Carla Hayden was sworn in as the 14th librarian of Congress and the first woman and first African American to hold the position, Roll Call spoke to her about her place in history and the African Americans from the past who inspired her most. Without hesitation, she cited Frederick Douglass and his advocacy for literacy as being one of the reasons she became a librarian.

“One should learn to read; you’ll be forever free,” she quoted him. On Thursday, more than eight years into her 10-year term, President Donald Trump fired Hayden. She was appointed in 2016 by President Barack Obama and sworn in on Sept. 14, 2016.