Civil

Iconic Daisy Bates Statue Unveiled In U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall

The unveiling of a statue honoring civil rights icon Daisy Bates at the National Statuary Hall garners bipartisan praise, commemorating her pivotal role in desegregating Arkansas public schools and advancing the civil rights movement.

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By Stacy M. Brown
Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

NNPA Newswire

The recent unveiling of a statue honoring civil rights activist and journalist Daisy Bates in the National Statuary Hall brought out a bipartisan mix of individuals who praised the icon and the newest fixture at the U.S. Capitol.

Arkansas Republican Congressman Bruce Westerman reflected on Bates’s early life challenges, while the man who created the statue praised her courage. Democratic members of Congress also chimed in, noting the historic installation and acknowledgment of Bates’ activism.

“Considering the current climate that we’re in as it relates to politics and race, it’s important that we remind people of our history,” Texas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett asserted.

“I think we need to consistently remind people of our history and what really matters. And hopefully, we can find it in our hearts to recognize the future historians doing their part to better this country.”

Bates, who died in 1999 at age 84, is famously remembered for playing a crucial role in desegregating Arkansas public schools in the 1950s, especially guiding the Little Rock 9 students who desegregated the all-white Central High School under tumultuous protests by white citizens.

Along with her husband, she published an Arkansas newspaper dedicated to the civil rights cause and served as the president of the state’s NAACP chapter.

“Every high school, every middle school, every elementary school, every college in this country is the pattern of America today because of Daisy Gaston Bates,” remarked Charles King, President of the Daisy Bates House Museum Foundation, during the unveiling ceremony.

King asserted that Bates’ statue represents unity.

“The song of America was not the tune for Daisy Bates,” King said. “I have to believe the Almighty had a bigger and better song for Daisy … it appears that the America that Daisy sang and the America that America sang were two different songs, until today.”