Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune An 11-foot marble statue of educator, activist and entrepreneur Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune was unveiled in Daytona Beach on Monday. (WFTV.com News Staff)

WASHINGTON — An 11-foot marble statue of educator, activist and entrepreneur Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune will be unveiled at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday morning.

This is the first time a statue of an African American will represent a state in National Statuary Hall. Each state has two statues on display.

The three-ton statue was sculpted by Florida artist Nilda Comas, the first Hispanic master sculptor chosen for the Statuary Hall State Collection.

Comas sculpted the statue in Pietrasanta, Italy, using a 11.5-ton block of statuario marble excavated from Michelangelo’s cave in the statuario marble in Tuscany.

Bethune-Cookman University vs. Jackson State University to be played at TIAA Bank Field

The statue was previously on display in Daytona Beach, where Bethune lived and founded Bethune-Cookman University.

The statue of Bethune, who was born to former slaves, replaced that of Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith, who was born in Florida.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.

Jason Kelly joined WFTV in 2014.

© 2022 Cox Media Group. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. Manage Cookie Preferences | Do Not Sell My Information