Hundreds celebrate unveiling of Native American statue at California State Capitol Park.
SACRAMENTO – Hundreds of people gathered at Capitol Park Tuesday morning for the dedication of a new statue that will honor local Native American tribes.
Miwok leader and cultural dancer William J. Franklin Sr. is the subject of the new statue.
California politicians and tribal representatives, along with other dignitaries, are at the event.
The new statue replaces a previous one of Junipero Serra – an important figure from California's Spanish mission history. Re-evaluation of Serra's treatment of Native Americans during his missionary work, however, led to the push for removing his statue.
Over the years, demonstrators have vandalized the Serra statue at Capitol Park. Protesters have also pulled down Serra statues in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Serra's statue was eventually permanently removed from Capitol Park in 2020.
Groundbreaking for the Franklin Sr. statue was held in November 2022.