A state commission Tuesday agreed on a design for a statue of Rosa Parks for the Alabama State Capitol's steps, the first on the grounds of the Capitol to depict a Black woman.
The statue, designed by sculptor Julia Knight, based in Decatur, Georgia, will show Parks standing on a platform, facing those coming up the stairs to the Capitol. Parks will gaze upwards, symbolizing her courage and determination. It will be placed at the top of the steps.
Parks, a seamstress and longtime civil rights activist, boarded a segregated Montgomery bus on Dec. 1, 1955, and refused to give her seat to a white person. Parks' arrest led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott and kicked off the modern Civil Rights Movement.
The working model shows the wind blowing behind Parks' coat, which Knight said is meant to symbolize "freedom, blowing in the wind, flying up, not restricted."
(READ MORE: Hamilton County Schools announces eight new leadership assignments)
The Rev. Agnes Lover, a member of the Alabama Women's Tribute Statue Commission, said she was captivated by the coat and the symbolism of the wind.
"One of the things that captured me was the obvious movement in the wrinkle of the clothes, the coat floating," Lover said. "It is showing momentum for me."
Dan Bynum, a Birmingham curator and artist, said the coat represents the initial idea of showing progress and "almost a resistance."
"I love the folds and the contours that you put in," he said. "Today we see so many outdoor sculptures where the fabric is flat — very structured and robotic, if you will. I love the folds. It adds so much character."
The commission suggested a few changes to the figure, which Knight will work on for the next three weeks.
(READ MORE: In Tennessee, expulsions echo a decades-old protest movement)
Tracey Morant Adams, a commission member and executive at Renasant Bank, said she has several photos and portraits of Parks and thought some minor alterations might help with the likeness.
Adams also brought up another concern around the left side of the coat not being as defined as the right side, saying it didn't capture Parks as well.
"It certainly is captivating," she said. "I would agree with earlier comments, but it was just that level of detail."
It is not known when the statue will be ready for installation. Montgomery's Court Square, where Parks caught the bus on Dec. 1, 1955, features a life-size statue of Parks. A statue of Parks also resides in the U.S. Capitol.
(READ MORE: Five children taken from Black family after rural Tennessee traffic stop returned home)
The Alabama Women's Tribute Statue Commission was formed in 2019 to plan and erect statues of Rosa Parks and Helen Keller on the grounds of the Alabama State Capitol. The commission consists of six members and is chaired by Rep. Laura Hall, D-Huntsville.
The commission is using a state allocation to create the Parks statue. Commissioners also began fundraising for the statue of Helen Keller, which the commission estimates will cost between $211,000 and $245,000.
Annie Butrus, a Birmingham artist and member of the commission, said organizers are in the final stretches of finalizing the letter that will be sent out to potential donors, but the commission has not yet provided a timeframe for the Helen Keller statue.
Read more at AlabamaReflector.com.