Politics and Current
SC House passes bill requiring construction of Robert Smalls statue
The statue of former South Carolina Rep. Robert Smalls is one step closer to becoming the primary monument on the House grounds dedicated to a particular African American.
March 21 South Carolina House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill as announced by Berkeley County Republican legislator Brandon Cox, erecting a monument to honor the late congressman.
Bill instructs the committee to determine the main pointsequivalent to the situation of the monument, the kind, size, and materials from which the primary monument may be constructed: “I just can’t think of anyone else I could go to and say, ‘Hey, let’s put a statue of this person on the grounds.'” – Cox he said about Smalls, whom he called “a South Carolina hero.”
Born into slavery in 1839 in Beaufort, South Carolina, Smalls completed a remarkable feat through the Civil War. According to , in 1862, Smalls sailed a Confederate ship to freedom, carrying himself, his crew, and their families from slavery to freedom in lower than 4 hours. In an article by Henry Louis Gates Jr. it was noted that the 17 black passengers included nine men, five women and three children. Smalls later served within the South Carolina Legislature and five consecutive terms within the U.S. House of Representatives.
Democratic Republican Gilda Cobb-Hunter, the present longest-serving member of the House of Representatives, supports the thought of the monument and emphasizes the importance of public input. “It is extremely important that we erect monuments in areas that represent the full experience, especially in a climate where attempts are made to whitewash history and eliminate it,” she said.
The House Subcommittee on Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs (3-M) introduced Cox’s bill in early March, which have to be approved by each chambers and get the governor’s signature.
Cox intends for the commission to lift private funds and accept gifts and grants for the monument, which is pending approval by the South Carolina Senate.