Iconic figures Johnny Cash and Daisy Bates replace controversial statues in the U.S. Capitol

Two well-known individuals from Arkansas will replace statues that stood for more than 100 years at the U.S Capitol.

The prior statues depicted James P. Clark, a former governor and U.S senator in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and Uriah Rose, a 19th-century attorney. Controversy surrounded these statues following racists remarks attributed to Clark, insisting the Democratic Party uphold “white standards,” per ABC News.

Daisy Bates, a prominent figure of the Civil Rights movement, and Johnny Cash, the iconic musician and the “Man in Black,” are the representatives for Arkansas in Statuary Hall, the Capitol’s primary exhibition area, highlighting two statues from each state, according to VOA news.

In an interview, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson shared, “I remember giving tours to constituents from Arkansas, to young people, and I would point out the two representatives in Statuary Hall in our United States Capitol from Arkansas and they would say, ‘We’ve never heard of them,’” per ABC News.

In October 2022, Little Rock Public Radio released the names of the artist for each statue: Benjamin Victor of Boise, Idaho, was selected for crafting the Bates statue, marking his fourth piece to be placed in the U.S Capitol. Little Rock, Arkansas, native Kevin Kresse created the Cash statue, his first piece in the U.S Capitol.

Victor began his work by studying the life of Bates. He worked extensively by reading her 1962 autobiography and visiting her Little Rock home, according to ABC News

Who was Daisy Bates?

The National Women’s History Museum gives a brief biography of Daisy Bates, born in Huttig, Arkansas, in 1914. Bates was three years old when her mother was killed by three white men. Her biological mother’s death forced Bates to confront racism at an early age, pushing her into a life of fighting racial injustice.

Bates and her husband started their own local newspaper, the Arkansas Weekly, which greatly influenced Victor’s portrayal of Bates, with the statue showing a newspaper in her arm. She also served as the president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, which transformed the Civil Rights Movement, according to the article.

The 8-foot bronze statue shows an NAACP pin and rose on her lapel, honoring all the work she did to push for the integration of public schools in Arkansas.

Who was Johnny Cash?

Cash was born in Kingsland, Arkansas, a tiny town south of Little Rock. He was the son of a poor Southern Baptist sharecropper, Cash being one of seven children, according to the website Biography.

From an early age, Cash wrote songs, showing an increased love for music. That farm boy would become a world-renowned musician with 90 million records sold, reaching genres of country, rock, blues, folk and gospel. Cash was among the few artists inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, according to ABC News.

Kresse sculpted the 8-foot bronze statue of Cash with a guitar slung across his back, clutching a bible in one hand, per ABC News.

Kresse said, “He walked the walk and he lived what he believed. And that was just this quality that really appealed to me,” ABC reported.

Installation of the Daisy Bates statue will proceed this week, and Johnny Cash statue will be installed later this year, according to ABC News.