Robert Garcia, new member of the House of Representatives, will take the oath on an extremely rare comic strip, symbol of his own journey.
A superhero invites himself to the American Congress. Robert Garcia, Californian Democrat elected at the end of 2022 to the House of Representatives, announced that he would take the oath on a comic strip. A rare copy of The Adventures of Superman published in 1939, owned by the Library of Congress.
“It is with pride that I will be sworn in by Congress according to the Constitution,” he tweeted. “Under the Constitution will be three items that mean a lot to me. A photo of my parents that I lost to Covid, my citizenship certificate and an original of the first issue of Superman (…).”
Son of immigrants
CNN specifies that the date of the ceremony is still unknown. Born in Peru, Robert Garcia explained his symbolic attachment to the world of comics, and in particular to the Kryptonian superhero, in a statement sent to the American media:
“I came to the United States when I was 5 years old and I only spoke Spanish. When I was a kid, I picked up comic books from old resale stores and newsstands, and that’s that’s how I learned to read and write in English.”
“Values of justice and honesty”
According to him, Superman represents “truth and justice, an immigrant who was raised by good people who welcomed him. Superman’s values, like those of Congress, are values of justice, honesty, doing what is right, to stand up in support of those in need.”
CNN reports that the Library of Congress usually provides religious materials for these ceremonies. When he was sworn in, Barack Obama asked for the Abraham Lincoln Bible.
