WASHINGTON (AP) â Congressional leaders and Kansas officials praised aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart on Wednesday for advancing the cause of women's rights during her barrier-breaking career at a ceremony unveiling her statue in the U.S. Capitol.
Click below to watch to watch a replay of the ceremony.
Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, joins President Dwight Eisenhower as Kansas icons enshrined in the National Statuary Hall Collection. She is the 11th woman honored with a statue in the collection, where each state is represented by two people of significance.
U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas said that while Earhart is best known for flying across the ocean, she was also a military nurse, social worker, author, and a champion for women's advancement.
âFemale pilots used to be called âladybirds,â âsweethearts of the air,â and because of Amelia Earhart, back then, now and into the future, women who fly planes are now called âpilots,â" Davids said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi noted that Earhart, who was born and raised in Atchison, Kansas, was the first woman to ever receive the Distinguished Flying Cross from the U.S. Congress.
âNot only was she an outstanding aviator, but she had a strong moral compass as an outspoken champion for gender equality,â Pelosi said. "Amelia envisioned aviation as a great equalizer, and she fought valiantly to close the gender gap.â
The Kansas Legislature voted in 1999 to replace previous statues with those of Eisenhower and Earhart. Eisenhower's statue arrived in 2003 but the bronze statue of Earhart was delayed until the Atchison Amelia Earhart Foundation raised the funding for it.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said it was fitting that one of the state's most notable pioneering women was being honored.
âLet it be an inspiration for all, particularly our young girls, for generations to come," Kelly said.
Earhart disappeared in July 1937 on a flight over the Pacific Ocean while trying to become the first pilot to circle the globe at the equator. No trace of her or her navigator, Fred Noonan, has ever been found, sparking numerous theories about what happened to them.
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WASHINGTON âThe unveiling of the bronze statue of the aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart â the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean and influential advocate for womenâs equal rights â was held in National Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Wednesday morning.
Click below to watch to watch a replay of the ceremony.
Governor Laura Kelly joined Congressional Leadership including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senators Jerry Moran, Roger Marshall, Congresswoman Sharice Davids, Congressman Jake LaTurner and others.
Amelia Earhart was one of the worldâs most celebrated aviators and the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Born and raised in Atchison, Kansas, Earhart received her pilot license in 1923 and subsequently championed the advancement of women in aviation. She was declared lost at sea when she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in 1937. The statue of Amelia Earhart will represent the State of Kansas in the National Statuary Hall Collection.
- The National Statuary Hall Collection consists of 100 statues â two contributed by each state. The statues are placed throughout the U.S. Capitol.
- Kansas first sent marble statues of U.S. Sen. John James Ingalls and Kansas Governor George Washington Glick to the U.S. Capitol.
- The Kansas State Legislature voted in 1999 to replace the two statues with President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Amelia Earhart.
- The bronze statue of Earhart was created by George and Mark Lundeen and will be a twin to an Amelia Earhart statue that will be placed at the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum in Atchison.
- The Atchison Amelia Earhart Foundation was formed in 2016 to lead funding for the Earhart statue and to build the new Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum opening in 2023 in Atchison, Earhartâs hometown
- The Amelia Earhart statue will be the 11th woman represented in the 100 statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection.