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State Appoints Committee to Find Historical Context for Jefferson Davis Statue in Capitol

Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain

State officials have appointed a committee to provide historical context for a statue of Jefferson Davis in the Kentucky Capitol. 

Kentucky's Capitol includes statues of former president Abraham Lincoln and Davis, the only president of the Confederate States of America. Both were Kentucky natives. The statues are governed by the Historic Properties Advisory Commission.

Two years ago, former Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear asked the commission to consider moving the Davis statue following the racially-charged killings at an African-American church in South Carolina.

The commission rejected that idea, opting instead to form a committee to study how to give all of the statues historical context. The committee was not appointed until Thursday.

The seven-member committee will include two black members, including the executive director of the Jefferson Davis State Historic Site.

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