Some members of the North Carolina legislature say it’s time to honor Billy Graham with a statue inside the U.S. Capitol building.
Bills in the state’s House and Senate describe the 96-year-old evangelist as a man who “continues to inspire the world with his good works.”
Every state is allotted two statues in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall Collection, and states are allowed to make changes.
A statue of Graham would replace one of former Gov. Charles Aycock, linked to the white supremacy movement over a century ago. A biography from 1912 said Aycock “believed in the right of the white man to rule as profoundly as he believed in God,” The News Observer reported.
Born in Charlotte, Graham has preached in more than 185 countries and terroritories. He has also counseled and prayed with several presidents and has been a respected leader in the evangelical movement.
