One of highlights of a trip to Washington D.C., is the U.S. Capitol and the National Statuary Hall Collection, which features two prominent historical figures from each state chosen by state legislators.
The idea for the statues was approved by Congress in 1864 as the Civil War was coming to an end. The first of what are now 99 statues (Virginia has just one) was placed in Statuary Hall in 1870.
The statues are a glimpse into the past and what people were esteemed at the time they arrived at the Capitol.
For many Southern states whose contributions came at the height of Jim Crow rule, the selections are an embarrassment because they honor known Confederate officials, most of whom were slave-owners. Slowly those statues are being replaced. Alabama replaced the statue Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry in favor of Helen Keller in 2009. Florida replaced the statue of Confederate general Edmund Kirby Smith with a statue of civil rights leader and educator Mary McLeod Bethune in 2022. Arkansas is the most recent to make a change, replacing the statue of Uriah Milton Rose with a statue of Civil Rights icon Daisy Lee Gatson Bates. Bates’ statue was added in May. Arkansas will also replace its other statue, that of James Paul Clark, a former governor with no ties to the Confederacy. A statue of Johnny Cash will soon take that spot.
As of the moment, Daisy Bates’ statue stands next to Mississippi’s Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy. That juxtaposition only magnifies the embarrassment for Mississippi. The state’s other statue, that of J.Z. George, a notorious Confederate who is considered the Father of Jim Crow, isn’t any better, George’s own descendants called for his statue to be removed.
For years, Democrats in the state legislature have filed bills to have the statues of Davis and George replaced. It has gotten nowhere with the Republicans, who hold a super-majority in both chambers.
But a flicker of hope has emerged recently. Republican Fred Shanks, the House Rules Committee chairman, told Mississippi Today he expects legislation to remove the statues to get a full hearing in the House in the 2025 session.
Included in those discussions would likely include a process for selecting two honorees. It could be done by a committee set up for that purpose (which was the process for changing the state flag) or polling the citizens to determine their preferences.
The candidates are many, among them Elvis Presley, B.B. King, William Faulkner, Medgar Evers and Fannie Lou Hamer. Each of them tell a far better story about our state than the two Confederates whose statues are an embarrassing reminder of Mississippi at its worst.
We urge legislators to support this effort.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.