Along the banks of the Arkansas River stands the bronze bust of one of Arkansas heroines, Daisy Gatson Bates. Gatson Bates (1914-1999) grew up with foster parents in a segregated environment in Arkansas, learning about racism and discrimination against African-Americans firsthand. In 1941, she and her husband settled down in Little Rock; she became an active member of the NAACP’s local branch and, several years later, its president. The Bates established the Arkansas State Press, writing about civil rights issues, promoting desegregation, and celebrating stories of inspiring black Arkansans. In 1957, Bates decided to change the status quo after several years had passed since the Supreme Court’s decision that segregated schools were unconstitutional. She chose nine students to enroll in the all-white Little Rock Central High School. She supported, protected, and mentored the students during the enrollment and school period, which later became known as the Little Rock Integration Crisis. Bates and the Little Rock Nine faced death threats and opposition from the white students’ parents, local mob groups, and the Arkansas government. In 1960, after a year in which all the public schools in Little Rock were closed, they opened with no segregation. Bates stayed in touch with the Little Rock Nine through their years in school. After years of activism work, Bates died in Little Rock at age 85. Read more about her life story here. The bust was created by the renowned sculptress Jane DeDecker who also sculpted the other two monuments that honor women on the banks of the Arkansas River. The first is the Harriet Tubman statue, and the second is the Women’s Suffrage statue called Every Word We Utter, which commemorates the national suffrage leaders Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Stanton Blatch, Sojourner Truth, Alice Paul, Ida B. Wells, alongside Little Rock’s Bernie Babcock, and Josephine Miller Brown. Below the bust, a plaque reads: “When hate won’t die, use it for good.” Read more...

On October 10th, 2019, 100 years after Arkansas became the twelfth state to ratify the 19th Amendment that granted American women voting rights, a monument celebrating the event was dedicated at the Nineteenth Amendment Plaza in the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden in Riverfront Park. Titled, Every Word We Utter, the monument depicts the national suffrage leaders Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Stanton Blatch, Sojourner Truth, Alice Paul, Ida B. Wells, alongside Little Rock’s Bernie Babcock, and Josephine Miller Brown. The base commemorates over a dozen other Arkansas women who fought for women’s rights. The famous Colorado sculptress Jane DeDecker designed and sculpted the bronze monument based on the concept of a droplet of water that falls into water, creates ripples, rises, and then returns down to it. The droplet symbolizes how suffrage has impacted women’s rights, the next generations- the daughters, on the social movements that came after them. More statues along the Arkansas River that honor women or were created by sculptress are: the Daisy Gatson Bates Bust by Jane DeDecker, Peace by Lorri Acott, Touch the Sky by Jane DeDecker, Harriet Tubman Statue by Jane DeDecker and Infinity by Kathleen Caricof. This is one of the many monuments erected throughout the country to commemorate the 100th 19th Amendment ratification. Click here to explore more. Read more...

Harriet Tubman, the human rights activist and Abolitionism icon, is commemorated with a statue, created by the known Colorado sculptress Jane DeDecker. Tubman was an enslaved woman who escaped to freedom. Her courage led her to become one of the most important figures at the Underground Railroad, helping hundreds of slaves to their freedom. The bronze statue depicts Tubman holding the hand of a boy, guiding him along the Underground Railroad trail. A quote by Tubman’s is inscribed on the pedestal below: “Children if you are tired, keep going. If you’re hungry, keep going. If your scared, keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, Keep going” “Children if you are tired, keep going. If you’re hungry, keep going. If your scared, keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, Keep going”   Several identical copies of the statue are located across the US: Ypsilanti, Michigan – unveiled on May 21st, 2006. A plaque near the statue is describing Tubman’s life and legacy. Outside of City Hall in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Campus of Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia. It was given to the University in September 1997 and was placed near the library. In 2017, it was moved to the front lawn to be more accessible to the public. In Harriet Tubman Park in Las Sendas Mesa, Arizona – unveiled in 1995.   WordPress Google Maps Plugin Read more...