Jefferson Davis statue removed from Kentucky state Capitol

A statue of Jefferson Davis was removed from the rotunda of the Kentucky state Capitol on Saturday after a panel voted to remove the figure.

The commission, which has power over what statues are shown at the building, voted 11-1 on Friday to remove the statue of Davis, the leader of the Confederacy during the Civil War.

The Jefferson Davis statue has been removed from its pedestal at the Kentucky state Capitol. @heraldleader pic.twitter.com/nHl7LB8h58

— Ryan C. Hermens (@ryanhermens) June 13, 2020

The 12-foot marble statue — originally placed in the rotunda in 1936 at the request of the United Daughters of the Confederacy — will be moved to the Jefferson Davis Historic Site, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported. The site is in Todd County, where Davis was born.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) called it a “a historic day in the commonwealth.”

“It was past time for this vote and for this action,” Beshear said. “But what it will mean is that we get a little closer to truly being Team Kentucky — that every child who walks into this Capitol feels welcome, and none of them have to look at a symbol and a statue that stands for the enslavement of their ancestors.”

The move comes amid a push to remove statues of Confederate figures following widespread protests over racial profiling and police brutality. Several Democratic lawmakers introduced legislation this week to remove 11 Confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol following the protests.