Statue of Native American Leader William J. Franklin Sr. Unveiled at California State Capitol, Replacing Toppled Monument of Spanish Missionary

Unveiling Marks Cultural Shift in Recognizing Native American History, Acknowledges Tribes Whose Ancestral Lands are State Capitol Grounds

An eight-foot-tall bronze statue of Native American leader William J. Franklin Sr. was unveiled at the California State Capitol, replacing a monument of Spanish missionary St. Junípero Serra that was toppled by protesters in 2020.
The statue, representing Miwok leader Franklin, acknowledges the Native American tribes whose ancestral lands are now the grounds of the State Capitol.
The replacement of the statue marks a cultural shift in recognizing Native American history and a move by California lawmakers in recent years to acknowledge the state's history of violence against Native Americans.
As part of their efforts to recognize the history of Native Americans, in 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a formal apology for the state's role in violence against Native Americans, called a genocide, and has since also signed laws to promote the teaching of more Native American history in schools.
James C. Ramos, the first Native American in the state legislature, authored the bill in 2021 that enabled the construction of the Native American monument, and said it signifies the start of a new era in California where the original stewards of the land are honored.