WASHINGTON, D.C. -- With protests nationwide prompting the country to grapple anew with race relations, a Greensboro-area congressman says a North Carolina statue on Capitol Hill - already slated to be replaced - should be removed early.

The statue in question is of Gov. Charles Brantley Aycock, who held office at the turn of the century. It currently resides in the capitol crypt.

Rep. Mark Walker, R-6th District, says the statue should be removed expeditiously. He argues Aycock “does not represent North Carolina values.”

In a letter to the Architect of the Capitol, Walker wrote, “Despite his achievements in expanding public education, he was also a white supremacist and segregationist who worked to disenfranchise African Americans during his reign as governor.”

Aycock is one of North Carolina’s contributions to the National Statuary Hall Collection. Each state gets to submit two statues for display on Capitol Hill.

Aycock is already scheduled to be replaced in the coming years. But rather than wait for the completion of the replacement statue, Walker says Aycock’s spot should be left temporarily vacant.

“He doesn’t belong or deserve to be one of the two statues in the United States Congress,” Walker said in an interview.

In 2015, state leaders elected to swap Aycock out for a statue of Rev. Billy Graham. However, that statue may not be ready until the summer of 2021, according to a spokesman for the North Carolina Statuary Hall Selection Committee.

Artist Chas Fagan recently completed a small mock-up of the Graham statue, the spokesman said. However, that design still requires approval by a state panel and congressional leaders before the final statue can be created.

Fagan previously crafted a statue of President Ronald Reagan, which is one of California’s contributions to the Statuary Hall collection.

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Walker’s calls for the “prompt” removal of the Aycock statue comes as statues and monuments across the country are being re-evaluated, including those of Confederate figures. Some have been torn down or relocated.

In Washington, Speaker Nancy Pelosi is calling for roughly a dozen statues of Confederate officials or soldiers be removed from view on Capitol Hill. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says that decision is up to the states.

Besides Aycock, North Carolina’s other contribution to the Statuary Hall collection is currently Zebulon Vance, a Confederate officer who also served in Congress and as governor.

Should Vance be removed?

Walker said that is something the General Assembly has the power to review.

“I’m not opposed to seeing any statue removed, specifically those where you can draw a direct link where they were part of oppression that was part of this country’s history,” he said.

Another North Carolina congressman - Rep. David Price, D-4th District - expressed interest in seeing Vance replaced.

“I think he should be removed,” Price said. "There's so many North Carolinians that can and should be honored. I'd like to see that discussed very widely.“