A statue of musician Johnny Cash will replace the statue of a Confederate politician in the US Capitol region.
The statue is created by Kevin Kresse, a local of Little Rock. The 8-foot tall statue depicts Cash holding the guitar in one hand and the Bible in another. The statue would be unveiled on September 24 outside the Emancipation Hall in the Capitol. He joins another statue of Daisy Bates, a civil rights leader. A native of Arkansas, Bates was instrumental in the civil rights movement in Arkansas, particularly in educating a group of young Black people later called Little Rock Nine. Her statue was recently unveiled on May 8 in the National Statuary Hall.
The two statues would be replacing statues of controversial figures in American politics. One of them belonged to Uriah M. Rose, the president of the American Bar Association but also a known Confederate sympathizer. Another belonged to James P. Clarke, 18th century governor and US senator, as well as a white supremacist.
Johnny Cash was born in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1932. One of the most famous country singers in the world, he also delved into blues, rock, and gospel genres. He collectively sold over 90 million copies in his lifetime. To the newer generations, he is perhaps best known for his rendition of the song “Hurt”. He died in 2003 at the age of 71.
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During the George Floyd protests in 2020, a number of statues belonging to Confederates and white supremacists were toppled by the protestors. Since then, there has been an ongoing debate about evaluating the legacy of those immortalized in such statues. Many statues of controversial figures have already been removed or replaced in various parts of the US.
