Panel urges markers for minorities at State Capitol
A North Carolina historical commission recommends ending a 25-year moratorium on new statues and monuments at the state Capitol to honor American Indians, women and blacks.
Posted — UpdatedThe state Department of Cultural Resources said Tuesday the commission is recommending plaques inside the 170-year-old Capitol Building and statues on the grounds outside.
The Capitol Memorial Study Committee recommends the first step be new plaques inside the Capitol marking the constitutional amendments that abolished slavery, extended citizenship and voting rights to the freed slaves, and gave women voting rights. The panel recommends using taxpayer money for the plaques.
The committee says private and taxpayer matching funds should pay for outdoor statues honoring blacks, women, and American Indians.
The state chapter of the NAACP backed the department's move, saying each group "deserves their own unique presentation on our State Capitol grounds."
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