Statues of civil rights leader and Johnny Cash will represent Arkansas at the Capitol

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — When Arkansas lawmakers decided five years ago to replace statues representing the state at the U.S. Capitol, there were few objections. The sculptures that had been there for more than 100 years were of little-known figures in the history of the state.

“I remember giving tours to Arkansas voters, to young people, and I was pointing out the two representatives from Arkansas in the Statuary Hall in our United States Capitol,” said former state governor Asa Hutchinson, who was also a congressman. “And they said ‘we’ve never heard of them.’”

Instead of those two little-known men of the 18th and 19th centuries, the state will soon be represented by the “Man in Black” and a woman who was crucial in the fight against segregation in schools.

Officials plan to place sculptures of civil rights leader Daisy Bates this week, and of musician Johnny Cash later this year.

Bates, who led the state branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), mentored black students known as the Little Rock Nine, who integrated in high school Central in 1957. Bates is a well-known civil rights activist in Arkansas, where a street in the center of the capital, Little Rock, is named after her. The state also celebrates Daisy Bates Day on Presidents’ Day.

Benjamin Victor, the Idaho sculptor chosen to create the Bates sculpture, said he began his work with extensive study of her, including reading her 1962 autobiography and visiting her home in Little Rock and Central High School. He hoped the sculpture would help visitors to the Capitol learn more about her, too.

“First and foremost, I hope it inspires you to study the life and legacy of Daisy Bates,” Victor said. “An important part of this is capturing her spirit and inspiring others to do the same, and stand up for what is right.”

The 8-foot bronze sculpture shows Bates, who with her husband published the Arkansas State Press newspaper, walking with a newspaper under her arm. In one hand she carries a notebook and a pen, and on her lapel is an NAACP pin and a rose.

Cash was born in Kingsland, a small town about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Little Rock. He died in 2003 at age 71. Among his achievements are 90 million records sold worldwide, with a body of work that encompasses country, rock, blues, folk and gospel. He is one of the few artists inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The 8-foot (2.4-meter) sculpture of Cash shows the singer with a guitar on his back and a Bible in his hand. Little Rock sculptor Kevin Kresse, selected to create the statue, has created depictions of other state musicians such as Al Green, Glen Campbell and Levon Helm.

Kresse sees Cash’s arrival on Capitol Hill as much-needed as a contrast to the conflict in Congress, he said.

“He followed the path and lived according to his beliefs. And it was that aspect that really attracted me,” Kresse said. “And that inner thoughtfulness was something I really wanted to try to convey in this sculpture.”

The sculptures of Bates and Cash will replace those of James P. Clarke, a former governor and federal senator in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and Uriah Rose, a 19th-century attorney general. His presence had been questioned, especially by racist comments Clarke made calling on the Democratic Party to preserve “white standards.”

Republican Sen. Bart Hester, now president pro tem of the Senate, began calling for its replacement in 2018. Clarke Tucker, Clarke’s great-great-grandson and a Democratic state senator, also called for the statue of his ancestor to be removed.

“There was a general recognition that it was time for change,” said Hutchinson, who signed the 2019 law requiring the Bates and Cash sculptures to be placed.

Choosing new representatives was the difficult part, with lawmakers making competing proposals ranging from Walmart founder Sam Walton to a Navy SEAL commando who died in Afghanistan. After some haggling, lawmakers finally approved Bates and Cash.

Sen. David Wallace, who sponsored the bill to replace the old sculptures, said he hoped the new works would tell people more about the kind of people who have left Arkansas over time.

“We wanted it to be the everyday person representing Arkansas,” Wallace said. “And I think with Daisy Bates and with Johnny Cash, we covered the spectrum in Arkansas. They simply represent the common people of Arkansas.”

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Associated Press writer Mike Pesoli contributed to this report.