Trading capitol statues is interesting opportunity for Florida
Gerald Ensley, Tallahassee Democrat
5:15 p.m. EDT July 17, 2015
Florida legislative leaders last week said they were open to removing the statue of Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith from the capitol. The discussion follows the removal of the Confederate flag from display at the South Carolina capitol — which is creating a wave of reconsideration of Confederate symbols everywhere.
The U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. displays the statues of 100 Americans, two from each state. Florida’s entries are Smith and Apalachicola’s John Gorrie, one of the inventors of air conditioning ...
But if Smith is to be replaced, Florida has the opportunity for a fine bit of irony: Replace a statue of a Confederate hero with a statue of an African-American hero. And be the first state represented by an African-American statue in the capitol.
My first three choices would be labor leader A. Phillip Randolph, educator Mary McLeod Bethune and writer Zora Neale Hurston. Each was a pioneer, each made a difference in American life and each tells an interesting story about Florida ...
http://www.tallahassee.com/story/opinion/columnists/ensley/2015/07/17/trading-capitol-statues-interesting-opportunity-florida/30314891/
I vote for A. Phillip Randolph!
