Replace Mississippi's Confederate statues in National Statuary Hall with more notable Mississippians

Mississippi is currently being represented by Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America, and James Zachariah George, Confederate General. These statues were donated to National Statuary Hall in 1931. Earlier this year, there was even word that James Z. George was moved to the boiler room of the U.S. Capitol because his legacy was too contemptible to mention during Capitol tours. Also, neither of these figures were even born in Mississippi.

The National Statuary Hall Collection is a chamber in the United States Capitol comprised of individual states donating two statues each to honor deceased people notable in that state's history that is seen by people from across the world. Since its opening, National Statuary Hall has had at least seven states replace their statues including Mississippi's neighbor Alabama with four more states undergoing the process of replacement. This trend was made possible by legislation enacted in 2000 as a way to bring the Hall Collection into the 21st century.

Mississippi has the highest percentage of black people in America at a whopping 37.3% according to the 2010 census. Furthermore, Mississippi has the highest number of black elected officials. So, why is Mississippi being represented nationally by figures that are known for dehumanizing a considerable part of Mississippi's demographic? This is not how Mississippi deserves to be represented today. With a history as rich as Mississippi's, we are currently missing a prime opportunity to showcase our biggest and brightest such as B.B. King, Eudora Welty, Medgar Evers, Jim Henson, Fannie Lou Hamer, Dr. James D. Hardy, Elvis Presley, and many more.

This national moment calls for swift, decisive action. I urge you to use your platform and publicly support the replacement of Mississippi's national Confederate statues. Together, we are all one Mississippi. Let's get this done!