Montgomery, Alaa.. Statues of Rosa Parks and Helen Keller, pivotal figures who fought for justice and inspired change around the world, will be unveiled Friday at the Alabama Capitol.
The monument honoring two famous Alabama natives — one who fought against segregation and the other who fought for the rights of people with disabilities — will be the first statues of women in an Alabama state park. Alabama Capitol. The additions will reflect a broader history of the state as they are added to grounds that also include several tributes to the Confederacy that was formed on the site in 1861.
While inside the Capitol is a bust of former Gov. Lurleen Wallace, the state’s first female governor who died in office in 1968, there were no monuments to famous women on the Capitol grounds.
Rep. Laura Hall, who sponsored the 2019 legislation that allowed the monuments, said it was important for visitors to the Capitol to see “the full picture, history and impact that women have had.”
“Helen Keller and Rosa Parks seem to be the image that you can identify with and understand their impact on history — whether you are black or white, Democrat or Republican,” Hall said.
Known as the mother of the modern civil rights movement, Parks was arrested on December 1, 1955 when she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. Her action sparked a year-long boycott of the city’s segregated bus system by black commuters and helped launch the civil rights movement.
Keeler was born on June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama. She became deaf and blind after falling seriously ill shortly before her second birthday. With the help of teacher Anne Sullivan, Keller learned to communicate through sign language and Braille. Keller became a popular writer and lecturer. She has defended the rights of workers, the poor, women and people with disabilities around the world.
Parks’ statue is located next to the steps of the Alabama Capitol facing Dexter Avenue, the street where Parks boarded the bus and made history in 1955. The statue honoring the civil rights icon is located across from a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis.
Keller’s statue is located facing the Alabama State House.
It took more than six years for the statue to be displayed on Friday.
Alabama lawmakers in 2019 approved Hall’s legislation to place memorials to Parks and Keller on the grounds of the state Capitol. the Alabama Women’s Honor Statue Commission He worked quietly, commissioning statues and putting the finishing touches on displays.