Alcorn State University Recognizes Hiram Revels Through Capitol Presentation
Representatives of Alcorn State University recently visited the Capitol to recognize the importance of Hiram Revels in Mississippi history. Revels, a Natchez resident, was the first president of Alcorn State and the first Black person to sit as a member of Congress in Washington. The House of Representatives offered a round of applause during the presentation, highlighting Revels’ pivotal role in advocating for the rights of freedmen in Mississippi.
While the House unanimously passed a resolution honoring Revels, there is pending legislation to replace Mississippi’s two statues of Jefferson Davis and J.Z. George in the U.S Capitol’s National Statuary Hall Collection with statues of civil rights icon Fannie Lou Hamer and Revels. However, House leadership has declined to advance the measure, with no plans to address the issue this year. Mississippi remains the only state in the nation to honor two Confederate leaders in the National Statuary Hall Collection.
Several Southern states have replaced their original statues with more inclusive figures, reflecting a shift towards recognizing civil rights activists and those who fought against racism and white supremacy. Mississippi’s legislative leaders have the opportunity to follow suit by replacing the statues of Davis and George with symbols that better represent the state’s diverse history and contributions to civil rights activism. The process to change a statue requires a majority vote in both legislative chambers, with the state responsible for covering the costs of replacing the statues.
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