The Abbott Sengstacke Family Papers/Robert Abbott Sengstacke/Getty Images
Since 1864, there have been two statues per state displayed in the National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol. But not a single one has been a statue of a Black American—until Wednesday. A statue of Mary McLeod Bethune, an educator, civil rights activist, adviser to Franklin D. Roosevelt, and namesake of Bethune-Cookman University, will be one of Florida’s statues. She will replace a statue of Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith, which was removed in 2021. Even though states have had the power to replace their statues since 2000, The Washington Post reported, Bethune is still the first Black American. Nine confederates still remain in the collection, however some states like Virginia and Arkansas have plans to introduce new Black figures into the hall in the next few years. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will unveil the statue of Bethune at a ceremony Wednesday.
