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Heard on the Hill

Fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden in her own words

First woman and first African American in position spoke to Roll Call for African American history month in 2017

Carla Hayden speaks during a hearing for her confirmation to be librarian of Congress before the Senate Rules and Administration Committee on April 20, 2016.
Carla Hayden speaks during a hearing for her confirmation to be librarian of Congress before the Senate Rules and Administration Committee on April 20, 2016. (Al Drago/CQ Roll Call)
By Jason Dick
Posted May 9, 2025 at 12:21pm

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.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. swears in Hayden as librarian of Congress as Speaker Paul D. Ryan and her mother, Colleen, look on during a ceremony in the Great Hall of the Library of Congress inside the Thomas Jefferson Building on Sept. 14, 2016. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

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