FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Jefferson Davis statue in the Kentucky State Capitol building could come down soon.

 

What You Need To Know


  • State Sen. Chris McDaniel pre-files bill to remove Davis statue, fund statue of Carl Brashear

  • Historic Preservation Advisory Board meeting Friday

  • Only item on meeting agenda is the statue

 

The Historic Properties Advisory Commission meets virtually Friday at 1 p.m. and the only item on their agenda is the future of the Confederate statue.

Gov. Andy Beshear said he wants the Jefferson Davis statue out of the Capitol rotunda.

"It is long past due to remove a statue that some kids who come into this Capitol — a Capitol that is supposed to be the people’s house and there for everybody— see as a symbol that they don’t matter," Beshear said. "A symbol of the enslavement of their ancestors, and a symbol of the continued systematic racism that we see in so many parts of our society."

Beshear asked the Historic Properties Advisory Commission to meet and vote on removing the statue.

The board has stopped previous efforts to remove the Confederate statue, but Beshear said he’s confident they’ll vote to remove it this time.

"I have committed to doing what it takes to remove the statue," Beshear said. "I believe the commission is going to vote to remove it and it’s going to get it done."

State Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Taylor Mill, is pre-filing a bill to remove the statue and replace it with Navy veteran Carl Brashear.

McDaniel said it shouldn’t matter what the commission says.

"Politicians of both parties have hidden behind the historic preservation commission and it’s a job that hasn’t gotten done," McDaniel said. "There comes a time where it’s time to, as leaders, direct them for what to do, and that’s what we’re going to do."

Beshear said he’ll examine other steps to remove the statue if the commission votes against it, but he doesn’t think he’ll need to.

"I’m not worried about the process that we get through, just fulfilling a promise, not just that I made, but that, I think, our commonwealth and our country made to all of the individuals that live here.}}

Beshear said there’s no timetable for how quickly the statue will be removed after Friday’s vote, and there are also no set plans for where it might go.

Beshear says it’ll move quickly, but crews will work to maintain the statue so it can go somewhere with a more historical context.

Beshear said one possible location is the Todd County Park. McDaniel said his bill offers two other possibilities: the Kentucky Historical Society in Frankfort or the Jefferson Davis monument in Christian County, where Davis was born.