At the time, many House Republicans supported removing some of the statues.
“We on this side of the aisle not only agree but we have been advocating for these very things for quite some time. In fact, as [for] Georgia’s statue, as I had advocated in times past for the removal of Alexander Stephens’ statue,” said Rep. Barry Loudermilk, Georgia duringHowever, some disagreed on how to do it and believe the states that selected them and not Congress should be making those choices.
“If the states that originally put those statues in here were the ones that asked that they be removed, I think that would be much more appropriate than this act, this body taking action,” said Rep. Loudermilk.“We owe a debt of gratitude to so many people who made some significant contribution to our country,” she said.is the first African American represented in the National Statuary Hall Collection. Bethune was an educator, civil and women’s rights leader.