Two new statues unveiled at Alabama state capitol

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — Statues honoring Rosa Parks and Helen Keller were unveiled at a ceremony Friday in Montgomery. These are the first female statues to be featured on the Capitol grounds.

Next to the Capitol, the stone and bronze Helen Keller monument welcomes visitors to sit and learn about her accomplishments.

For Helen Keller’s great-great niece, this was an exciting day.

“For Helen Keller, we want to continue to inspire other people with her life, and her legacy, and her character and her morals,” said Keller Johnson-Thompson, president of the Helen Keller Foundation. “And hopefully make a difference in someone’s life.”

In front of the Capitol, the Rosa Parks statue stands over nine feet tall, on a 1,000-pound granite pedestal. Julia Knight, the artist behind the monument, said Rosa Parks was not a tired seamstress, but a dedicated activist.

“Never think that gender, race, or whatever is a deterrent or should inhibit someone from being able to share the talents and gifts they’ve been endowed with by their creator,” Knight said.

Gov. Kay Ivey said Keller and Parks are daughters of Alabama who overcame extraordinary challenges.

“But in every case, courage changes the course of history. And today, these statues stand as symbols of that courage,” said Gov. Ivey. “Testaments to what one person- especially one determined woman- can do to make the world a better place.”

Sen. Vivian Davis Figures (D-Mobile) and Rep. Laura Hall (D-Madison) worked to make these statues a reality. Rep. Hall said she hopes visitors leave inspired.

“Alabama certainly believed in the vision and the legacy of both Helen Keller and Rosa Parks. And to realize, when they study the history of both of them- they realize they were always stepping into the future to make life better,” said Rep. Hall.

Gov. Ivey said the same spirit that lives in Rosa Parks and Helen Keller still lives here in Alabama. That’s in the hearts of young girls and women across the state who are determined to make a difference.