An unveiling ceremony is held in the State Reception Room for a maquette of the Billy Frank Jr. statue to be placed in National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C.
The ceremony is emceed by Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck, and features remarks by Governor Jay Inslee, and State Representatives Debra Lekanoff and J.T. Wilcox. Nisqually Tribal Chairman Willie Frank, Peggen Frank, and artist Haiying Wu perform the unveiling. Also featuring the Nisually Tribe Canoe Family.
The Billy Frank Jr. maquette models a statue that will be displayed in the National Statuary Hall, the first to depict a contemporary Native American.The Washington Legislature approved HB 1372 in 2021 to replace the Marcus Whitman statue in the national statuary hall collection. Haiying Wu was selected by the National Statuary Hall Selection Committee, co-chaired by Willie Frank III, Lt. Governor Denny Heck, and Rep. Debra Lekanoff, to create the statue.
