A statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis will no longer stand in the Kentucky state Capitol, lawmakers decided Friday.
In a bipartisan vote, the state historical commission voted to remove the statue from the Capitol rotunda in Frankfort following weeks of protests demanding action on racial injustice and police brutality amid the death of George Floyd in police custody.
Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear called the move “overdue,” according to Reuters.
“Today is a move toward showing that everybody is welcome in this building and that our government should work for the betterment of every single Kentuckian,” Beshear said in a statement.
Statues deemed to represent historical oppression have been the targets of protests in recent days. Among figures targeted include Davis and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, President Abraham Lincoln, Italian American explorer Christopher Columbus, and prominent leaders from the 20th century, including Winston Churchill and Mahatma Gandhi.
On Wednesday, a statue of Davis was toppled in Richmond, Virginia, which was one of the three capitals of the Confederacy.
