The Robert Smalls Monument Commission will present the ceremony at 9:30 a.m. Governor Henry McMaster and State House Rep. Brandon Cox (R, Berkeley) will deliver remarks honoring Smalls.
Smalls was a Beaufort native born into slavery. He and other enslaved crew members commandeered a Confederate warship to secure freedom. He later served in both the state legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives
Cox worked with State House Rep Jermaine Johnson (D, Richland) to bring the statue to the State House.
The commission was established by Act 183 of the 2024 South Carolina Legislature to design and place the memorial.
The monument site is located in the northeast quadrant of the State House grounds.
