Mary McLeod Bethune Honored With New Statue Unveiled At U.S. Capitol
A new representation of American history has been unveiled in the U.S. Capitol, which also represents a significant part of Black history as well.
On Wednesday (July 13), the capitol’s National Statuary Hall unveiled a statue of Mary McLeod Bethune, becoming the first to represent a Black person in the state collection within Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol.
The founder of the National Council of Negro Women and Bethune-Cookman College, an HBCU in Daytona Beach, Fla., Bethune also served as an adviser to five U.S. presidents. Her statue replaces Confederate general Edmund Kirby Smith, which had stood as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection since 1922.
“Today we are rewriting the history we want to share with our future generations,” said Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson at the unveiling, according to the Orlando Sentinel. “We are replacing a remnant of hatred and division with a symbol of hope and inspiration.”
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Created by Fort Lauderdale artist Nilda Comas, the statue is 11 feet tall and made of marble. Comas has also made history as the first Hispanic artist with a statue in the national hall.
A second statue of Mary McLeod Bethune will be unveiled in August at Bethune Plaza in Daytona Beach.
