{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/sen-tim-scott-participates-in-fireside-chat-on-the-legacy-of-robert-smalls-at-fort-moultrie/", "Sen. Tim Scott participates in fireside chat on the legacy of Robert Smalls at Fort Moultrie", "2026-03-16", "2026", "2026-03", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Tim Scott", "S001184", "www.scott.senate.gov", "timscott", "https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/jsf/jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "CHARLESTON, S.C. \u2014 This weekend, U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) co-hosted The Faith and Politics Institute\u2019s Annual Pilgrimage in Charleston, South Carolina alongside Congressman James E. Clyburn (D-SC-06). Sen. Scott participated in a fireside chat reflecting on the life and legacy of Robert Smalls against the historic backdrop of Fort Moultrie. The event followed a brief tour of the fort and brought together more than 200 participants, including several Members of Congress.\n\nThe conversation, titled \u201cThe Greatness of this Country That Produced Robert Smalls,\u201d featured historian Bernard Powers of the College of Charleston and was moderated by Robert Traynham of the Faith and Politics Institute. As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, this year\u2019s congressional pilgrimage offered Members of Congress and leaders a powerful opportunity for reflection and growth.\n\n\u201cStanding in Charleston, where Robert Smalls sailed himself from slavery to freedom, reminded all of us that the promise of America is not just a place, it is an idea, a story, and a people. The Faith and Politics Pilgrimage brought Members of Congress and our communities together across every difference to wrestle honestly with that story, and to recommit ourselves to the more perfect union it demands of us,\u201d said Sen. Scott.\n\n\u201cIt was my pleasure to welcome my Congressional colleagues, partners, and community members to the 2026 Faith and Politics Institutes\u2019 Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage. As we came together in my home state of South Carolina, I was inspired by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he intoned: \u2018We must keep moving. If you can\u2019t fly, run; if you can\u2019t run, walk; crawl; but by all means keep moving,\u2019\u201d said Rep. Clyburn. \u201cMovement defines the American story which encompasses African American history in which this state has played a pivotal and powerful role. South Carolina is inextricably linked to the struggles as well as the achievements of our great nation. During this pilgrimage, we recognize and properly honored the past, but also acknowledged the present and embraced opportunities for positive change.\u201d\n\n\u201cHosting this bipartisan pilgrimage in Charleston was both a privilege and a responsibility,\u201d said Robert Traynham, president, Faith & Politics Institute. \u201cAs we reflected on the theme One Country, One Destiny, we were reminded that understanding our history, especially in places as consequential as Charleston, is essential to building a more perfect union.\u201d\n\nBorn into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina, Smalls famously commandeered the Confederate transport ship Planter in 1862 and delivered it to Union forces, securing freedom for himself and others aboard. He later served with distinction in the Union Navy before representing South Carolina\u2019s Lowcountry in the U.S. House of Representatives.\n\nParticipants gathered to reflect on Smalls\u2019 legacy and the enduring lessons his life offers about leadership, perseverance, and the ongoing pursuit of a more perfect union.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/sen-tim-scott-participates-in-fireside-chat-on-the-legacy-of-robert-smalls-at-fort-moultrie/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.606204081326723, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}