WASHINGTON, D.C – Daisy Gatson Bates will become the 13th woman to be represented in the National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol in Washington D.C. on May 8, 2024, at 3:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Bates, best known as the mentor to the Little Rock Nine, was also Co-Publisher of the Arkansas State Press, author of “The Long Shadow of Little Rock,” president of the Arkansas State Conference of the NAACP, and the only woman to formally address the 1963 March on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston and Shane Broadway, Chairman of the National Statuary Hall Steering Committee for Arkansas, made this announcement today following confirmation by U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson’s office.
Artist Benjamin Victor was commissioned by the National Statuary Hall Steering Committee and the Arkansas Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission to create the 7-foot 6-inch bronze sculpture following the approval of Act 1068 of 2019, sponsored by Senator Dave Wallace and Representative Jeff Wardlaw of the Arkansas General Assembly. This statue and a statue of musician Johnny Cash, replace Arkansas’s two current statues that have been in the U.S. Capitol for over a century. Cash’s unveiling by Arkansas artist Kevin Kresse will take place at a later date.
In 1864, Congress passed a law inviting each state to submit up to two bronze or marble statues to be placed in what is known as the National Statuary Hall. As the number of states grew, the statues were housed in additional areas of the U.S. Capitol. In 1917, a marble statue of the late Uriah M. Rose, a founder of the Rose Law Firm and the American Bar Association, and in 1921, a marble statue of the late U.S. Senator and Governor James P. Clarke was placed in National Statuary Hall, both approved by the Arkansas General Assembly.
The public is invited to watch the dedication ceremony with a live viewing party, which will begin at 1:00 pm Central Standard Time at Second Baptist Church, located at 1709 John Barrow Road. This local event will feature highlights of Mrs. Bates' legacy and efforts by local dignitaries to uphold her vision for equality and justice. The unveiling will then be viewed live immediately following the program. These events are free and open to all. The ceremony will also be broadcast live on C-SPAN and the Speaker of the House website.
Victor, who hosted a residency to work on the statue last year at the Windgate Center of Art and Design at UA Little Rock, said, “It’s been such an honor. When I read about [Bates’s] life and legacy and accomplishments, I know it will take the best of me in order to do justice to her spirit and legacy. I can’t imagine any person more worthy than Daisy Bates of being immortalized in Statuary Hall.”
Victor is the only living artist to have three works in National Statuary Hall and is further recognized as the youngest artist to have a sculpture installed, with his first work installed at the age of twenty-six.
Secretary Thurston said, “It is an honor to have a part in bringing the statue of Daisy Gatson Bates to the U.S. Capitol. Her life and legacy have shaped Arkansas's future, and we are proud to have her represent our great state in Statuary Hall. I am thankful for the diligent work of the Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission, Governor Asa Hutchinson for signing the legislation and his work fundraising, Shane Broadway, Chairman of the National Statuary Hall Steering Committee for Arkansas, the leadership of our legislature, and my staff, who have been involved in each step of the process.”
Shane Broadway thanked Secretary Thurston, the Capitol Arts and Ground Commission, and the Secretary’s staff for their assistance since this process began. “We also want to thank former Governor Asa Hutchinson, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and the members of the Arkansas Congressional delegation for their steadfast support as we have worked with the Architect of the Capitol and the Joint Committee of Congress on the Library be at the point where both of our statues have received their final approvals and will be unveiled soon. We are grateful to our steering committee, our donors, and all who have helped us get to this significant moment in our state’s history.”
Daisy Gatson Bates Biography
Daisy Gatson Bates was an activist and publisher. She is best known for her role as mentor and advisor to the group of nine students who integrated Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Bates dedicated her life to the struggle against injustice and was among this country’s fiercest and most steadfast advocates for civil rights.
Born Daisy Lee Gatson in Huttig, Arkansas, on November 11, 1914, Bates was raised by friends of her parents. When Bates was very young, her mother was raped and murdered by three white men in Huttig who were never called to account for their crime. Devastated and facing intimidation from white residents of Huttig, Bates’ father fled, leaving his young daughter with Susie and Orlie Smith. The Smiths raised Bates as their own, and it was not until she was eight years old that she learned that she was not their biological daughter. Bates also learned of the tragic circumstances of her mother’s death.
In 1929, at the age of 15, Bates met Lucius Christopher (L.C.) Bates, a traveling insurance salesman and one-time journalist. Over the next decade, a romance developed between Bates and her older suitor. In 1941, the two moved to Little Rock, where L.C.’s dreams of returning to journalism were realized when the couple started the Arkansas State Press. The small newspaper quickly earned a reputation for stories dealing with themes of injustice and violence against Blacks in the south. The couple married in 1942 and soon became prominent members of the black community in Little Rock.
The Arkansas State Press was the dominant civil rights voice of the region, and the Bates's became deeply involved with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. During this time, Bates also enrolled in classes at both Shorter College and Philander Smith College. She was elected president of the Arkansas State Conference of NAACP branches in 1952. This position set Bates up to be a central figure in what was becoming known as the Civil Rights Movement.