Daisy and Johnny: Shining Stars of Arkansas

Daisy Bates and Johnny Cash are two iconic figures in American history whose legacies continue to inspire.

Both will soon be honored with statues in the United States Capitol, commemorating their impactful lives and contributions. Each state has two representative statues that reside in the U.S. Capitol rotunda. In 2019, under then Governor Asa Hutchinson, the decision was made to replace Arkansas’s two statues with the likenesses of Johnny Cash and Daisy Bates.

Johnny Cash, born in 1932 in Kingsland, Arkansas, was a legendary musician known for his deep, resonant voice and powerful songs that often highlighted the lives of the downtrodden and oppressed. Cash's music crossed various genres, including country, rock and gospel, earning him a huge following and numerous awards. He was often referred to as “The Man in Black” and his influence extends well beyond music. Cash was also a vocal advocate for prison reform, believing that we should keep minors out of jail and rehabilitate inmates. Cash once noted, “I mean, I just don’t think prisons do any good. They put ’em in there and just make ’em worse.”

It makes you wonder what The Man in Black would think of Governor Sarah Sanders’s prison expansion efforts.

Daisy Bates, born in 1914 in Huttig, Arkansas, was a formidable civil rights activist best known for her role in the 1957 Little Rock Central High School integration crisis. Mrs. Bates started the weekly newspaper, the Arkansas State Press, in 1941. The Arkansas State Press was one of the only African American newspapers solely dedicated to the Civil Rights Movement. Mrs. Bates was also the president of the Arkansas chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Mrs. Bates guided and supported the nine African American students known as the "Little Rock Nine," as they faced relentless hostility against their attempts to integrate Little Rock Central High. This hostility was even pushed from then Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus who vowed that "blood will run in the streets" if African American students tried to enter Central High. Mrs. Bates’s bravery and unwavering commitment to equality helped pave the way for civil rights advancements in America.

It makes you wonder what Mrs. Bates would think of Governor Sarah Sanders’s efforts to pull funding from public schools and to block African American history from being taught in public schools.

The inclusion of their statues in the Capitol serves as a tribute to their enduring impacts on music, culture and social justice, ensuring their legacies will continue to inspire future generations.

They are Shining Stars of Arkansas!

Share your thoughts and comments at chrisjoneslistens@gmail.com.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Chris Jones is a Pine Bluff native and was a candidate for Arkansas governor in 2022. He earned his Ph.D. in urban planning at MIT. Jones may be contacted at