Kathy Castor: Time for General Kirby Smith to Be Removed from Statuary Hall

With the Confederate flag in the news after the shooting at an AME church in Charleston, S.C., U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., called for removal of the statue of Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith, the highest ranking Confederate general from Florida, from Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol. 

“Leaders such as Mary McLeod Bethune, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, and many others have made more lasting and positive contributions to our great state,” Castor said on Tuesday. “Several states have recently revisited the historical representation of their statues in the Capitol and it is time for Florida to do the same.

“I call on all Floridians to consider great leaders, scientists, teachers, artists and more who reflect the essence of our great state and join the effort to select a statue for the U.S Capitol.  The time is now as a wave is sweeping the country to revisit symbols and representations that better reflect the accuracy of our nation’s history and a more inclusive legacy,” Castor added. “I urge the Florida Legislature and governor to give this every consideration, focus on Florida’s historical leaders who have been a positive influence and turn the page on a terrible chapter in America’s history.”