Statue of racist ex-Gov. Bilbo quietly moved in Mississippi

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A statue of white supremacist former Mississippi Gov. Theodore Bilbo has quietly been moved out of sight in the state Capitol. It’s a move praised by Black lawmakers who say he never deserved a place of prominence. Bilbo was a Democrat who blasted racist rhetoric. He was 1916-1920 and 1928-1932. He was in the U.S. Senate from 1935 until he died in 1947. The statue has been in the state Capitol for decades. A Legislative Black Caucus member, Democratic Rep. Kabir Karriem, says it was “very offensive.” In 2020, Mississippi shed another symbol of the past, retiring a Confederate-themed state flag.