On Thursday, Mississippi Today Capitol reporter Bobby Harrison reported that the bronze statue of Theodore Bilbo — perhaps the most notorious politician in Mississippi History — has gone missing from the Capitol building.
No one seems to know when it was removed or to where, wrote Harrison, who talked to numerous legislators, none of whom claimed to have any idea about when the statue was removed or its current location.
Predictably, a “Where’s Bilbo?” quip began circulating, a play on words reference to the popular picture search game, “Where’s Waldo?”
The sudden disappearance of the statue and the “whodunnit?” element of the story does have a comedic aspect. It seems, on its face, a harmless curiosity, especially when measured against the pressing issues of the day.
Statues are symbols and symbols communicate messages. The people and objects we memorialize in stone or bronze are a reflection of those who erected it — their values, their beliefs.
In a curious sort of way, the nature of Bilbo’s disappearance is revealing as well.
It is very interesting that the removal of the statue was done without being announced and that no one was willing to admit any role in its removal.
The bronze statue is to scale, which in Bilbo’s case is not that tall as life-size statues go. Bilbo stood just 5-foot, 2-inches tall.
So there’s one thing we can know for certain: Nobody just slipped over to the statue, looked both ways to make sure no one was watching, slipped it into his pocket and walked away undetected.
At an estimated 1,000 pounds, removing the statue would require manpower, equipment and — most importantly — authorization from somebody.
That the statue was removed in such a manner suggests that the person or persons who gave that order feared it would be controversial and therefore wanted to do it in a way to avoid notice.
That removing Bilbo’s statue would be considered even remotely controversial is almost as disturbing as the statue itself.
With the possible exception of former Governor and U.S. Senator James K. Vardaman, known as “The Great White Chief” for his advocacy for white supremacy in the post-Reconstruction era, Bilbo is the most virulent racist leader in the history of a state where there is no shortage of competition for that distinction.
That those who took the Bilbo statue out of the Capitol feared it would be controversial tells us the spirit of Bilbo is still with us, no matter where his bronzed likeness now resides.
Where’s Bilbo?
He’s with us when Sen. Roger Wicker says appointing a black female to the Supreme Court is a decision not based on qualifications but instead is an example of “affirmative action.”
Where’s Bilbo?
He is with us when our other Senator, Cindy Hyde-Smith, cracks a joke about being on the front row of a hanging in a state that was once the lynching capital of the world or when she suggests that making it harder for HBCU students to vote on campus “is probably a good idea.”
Where’s Bilbo?
He’s with us when Gov. Tate Reeves proclaims April as “Confederate Heritage Month” each year.
Where’s Bilbo?
He’s with us when state boards and appointed leaders are a better reflection of the demographics of Idaho (1 percent Black) than Mississippi (38 percent Black, the highest in the nation).
Where’s Bilbo?
He’s with us on the floor of the state house and senate where policies that disproportionately harm Black citizens are passed without so much as a thought.
Where’s Bilbo?
He’s with us in the Governor’s mansion as Reeves stubbornly refuses to expand Medicaid, an act that would give more than 200,000 working Mississippians, most of them Black citizens, access to real healthcare.
Where’s Bilbo?
Why, he’s still right where he’s always been.
We just don’t see him.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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