Share
Official Unveiling of the Daisy Lee Gaston Bates Statue
West Fraser team members were honoured to attend the unveiling of civil rights leader Daisy Bates’ statue in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall, as well as a local celebration hosted by the Daisy Bates House Museum Foundation in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Daisy Bates was a champion for educational equity, best known for her leadership in the integration of Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Her statue is one of only three representing women of colour in the Hall.
West Fraser’s connection to Bates runs deep. The company’s U.S. operations began nearly 25 years ago in her birthplace of Huttig, Arkansas. Today, her legacy is honoured through ongoing support for the Daisy Bates House Museum Foundation and annual scholarships awarded in her name at Huttig-Strong High School.
At West Fraser, we are inspired by Daisy's courage, impact and legacy. A legacy that we work to keep alive through our support of the Daisy Bates House Museum Foundation and a shared commitment to helping remove barriers to education.
Travis Oldershaw, Vice President, U.S. Wood Procurement and U.S. Community Investment Executive Sponsor
“It was truly a remarkable honour to participate in the statue reveal of Daisy Bates on behalf of West Fraser,” said Charmaine Kyles, Corporate Project Electrical Engineer. “I am humbly delighted to honour and serve West Fraser and the Daisy Bates Foundation to keep Daisy Bates’s legacy alive through supporting the Foundation and inspiring my own actions in the community. Daisy Bates is an admirable and positive example for me to follow. I’m thankful for her leadership, class, endurance and strength.”
