Press Releases

Miami, Fla. – Today, Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24) joined Speaker Nancy Pelosi to deliver remarks at Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune’s statue dedication ceremony. An iconic Floridian, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune was the child of enslaved people who rose from humble beginnings to become a renowned educator, civil rights and human rights leader, champion for women and young people, and advisor to five presidents. 

“Today, we are rewriting the history we want to share with future generations. We are replacing a remnant of hatred and division with a symbol of hope and inspiration by placing Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune in statuary hall, among our nation’s historical giants,” said Congresswoman Wilson. “As the senior Black member of Congress from Florida, I am extremely proud to break yet another glass ceiling in this hallowed hall of democracy and celebrate the legacy of Mary McLeod Bethune who leaves behind a legacy that dwarfs any one statue we can erect.”

The 6,129lb marble statue dedicated to Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune was cut from the Italian Alps the same used by Michelangelo to create his famous statue of David and is one of two statues commissioned by the Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Statuary Project. Artist Nilda Comas is the first Hispanic Master Sculptor selected to create a statue for the National Statuary Hall State Collection. 

In March of 2016, Gov. Rick Scott signed a law to replace the statue of Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith, which had been donated to the U.S. Capitol for display in Statuary Hall in 1922, with a new “Great Floridian.” Dr. Mary Mcleod Bethune's statue was chosen after the Florida Department of State conducted a search and was overwhelmingly voted to represent Florida in the National Statuary Hall State Collection along with the Sunshine State’s other statue, one of Dr. John Gorrie at the U.S. Capitol. At the base of the pedestal include the capitalized letters of her home state, her name, and the dates of her birth and death, with the inscription “Invest in the human soul. Who knows, it may be a diamond in the rough.”

For pictures and video from the statue unveiling, please follow this link.

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