Sculptures are meant to honor important people. Southern states were often used to send statues of Confederate leaders and military heroes during the 1920s and 1930s.
It was meant to send a message.
Confederate statues include, among others, Confederate President Jefferson Davis (1931, Mississippi) and Confederate Vice President Alexander Hamilton Stevens (1927, Georgia).
Now, slowly but surely, Confederate and white supremacist statues are being sent back.
Two years ago, Florida replaced the Confederate general with a statue of black educator Mary McLeod Bethune.
Next week, North Carolina will unveil a statue of the Rev. Billy Graham, who replaced Charles Aycock, who as governor sought to steal votes from black voters.
Aycock said in 1903, “I want the Negroes to learn once and for all that there is never-ending separation between the races.”
This summer, the state of Arkansas will send a statue of famous singer Johnny Cash in place of former Sen. James P. Clark, a strong supporter of racial segregation who wanted to maintain “white civilized standards.” It’s planned.
This week, Arkansas sent Daisy Bates, the NAACP leader who helped mentor nine black students who integrated Central High School in Little Rock in 1957, to replace the state’s other statues.
Bates is now standing next to Jefferson Davis — yes, a black woman, next to the president of the Confederacy. What about historical juxtaposition?
Mississippi could do better than Davis, just as Georgia could do better than Alexander Hamilton Stevens, who declared that “the negro is not equal to the white man.”
While that message may have worked in Georgia’s past, it certainly does not represent Georgia’s present or future.
2027 marks the 100th anniversary of the Stevens statue’s arrival in Washington, DC. I’m sure there is a Georgia historical figure who could send a better message to the thousands of tourists who walk through the U.S. Capitol each year.
Who will have bipartisan support? Three years ago, there was talk at the Gold Dome of rallying around baseball great Hank Aaron rather than promoting the late Congressman John Lewis. But it didn’t go anywhere.
Whichever you choose, it’s time for someone new, Georgia. It’s the 21st century.
Jamie Dupree has covered national politics and Congress from Washington, D.C. since the Reagan administration. His column appears weekly in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Check out his Capitol Hill newsletter for more information. http://jamiedupree.substack.com
