WASHINGTON, D.C.- On Wednesday, a new bronze statute of Willa Cather was unveiled in the U.S. Capitol just feet away from another depicting Ponca Chief Standing Bear, making her the second Nebraska icon to be memorialized there. "A lot of history was made in this room, but a little history is being made today" said Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy at the unveiling ceremony, standing alongside Gov. Jim Pillen, Sens. Pete Ricketts and Deb Fischer, and Reps. Mike Flood and Adrian Smith.

The sculpture has created by Omaha-based artist Littleton Alston, who became the first African-American artist to have a statue in the Capitol's collection. "Our nation's heroes are memorialized here in marble and bronze. Today, Willa Cather, the Nebraskan novelist and national icon, joins them," said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, "She becomes the first Pulitzer Prize Winner and 12th woman represented in the National Statuary Hall collection."

Others who gave speeches include Gov. Jim Pillen, Rep. Adrian Smith, and Sen. Deb Fischer, all of whom cited Cather's writings as particularly representative of Nebraska's culture and people. Cather's statue replaces that of J. Sterling Morton, famous for establishing Arbor Day but later becoming better known for his pro-slavery attitudes. Chief Standing Bear's statue, in 2019, also replaced a historical figure, William Jennings Bryan.

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