More than a century after his death, Civil War hero and Reconstruction-era leader Robert Smalls will finally take his rightful place on the South Carolina Statehouse grounds. The planned monument marks a watershed moment: Smalls will become the first individual statue honoring an African American on Capitol grounds. Until now, only white men with ties to the Confederacy or Jim Crow era have been featured. .

The historic decision comes 10 years after the controversial Confederate battle flag was removed from the statehouse complex. "It's powerful," said State Rep. Brandon Cox (R-Berkeley County), who championed the effort alongside Rep. Jermaine Johnson (D-Richland County). The bipartisan duo overcame years of stalled attempts, including previous advocacy by Smalls' great-great-grandson Michael B. Moore.

The selected design by renowned sculptor Basil Watson will occupy a prominent space near the Capitol's visitor entrance, reports state.  

"It’s just a fantastic thing for young Black kids, and kids in general, to be able to come here and see that all men were created equal like our Constitution indicates," Johnson said. 

Smalls' extraordinary life journey reads like an epic tale. Born into slavery in 1839 in Beaufort, the daring 22-year-old commandeered a Confederate warship in 1862, delivering it to Union forces while securing freedom for himself and the enslaved crew. 

His legacy extended far beyond this heroic act. Smalls purchased his former enslaver's home, helped draft South Carolina's 1868 Reconstruction constitution, and became a prominent congressman and education advocate. 

"We have stories that have shown again and again and again that we can move, we can change, we can grow,” said Tonya Matthews, president and CEO of the International African American Museum in Charleston. “Sometimes it's more painful than others, but it does happen here," Matthews said. "And so, I think that we can be a model of inspiration for ourselves as well as for the nation as a whole."