After years of pushing and planning, a statue of civil rights advocate and educator, Mary McLeod Bethune, will be added to the National Statuary Hall in the Capitol.

The statue, chiseled from marble quarried from Michelangelo's cave in Tuscany, will represent the state of Florida.

Bethune, an advisor to four American presidents, believed education was crucial to racial advancement.

Later in 2022, possibly in the month of May, she will become the first African-American to be honored in the hall.

"This honor is something that we have long been waiting for as far as her being recognized nationally," said Bethune’s great-grandson Charles Bethune.

He was there when the statue was unveiled in Daytona Beach, Florida.

That is where Bethune started a school for girls that would become what is now Bethune-Cookman University.

"She was the frontrunner in allowing voices to be heard of people of color, and the most ironic factor is she was a black woman,” said Charles Bethune. “She did all of this during a time when women weren't even heard from. Women weren't allowed to vote."

Bethune’s legacy is well represented in DC with the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site, that served as the headquarters of National Council of Negro Women, and Bethune’s last home in the District.

There’s also a statue of her in Lincoln Park.

Still, taking a place in Statuary Hall means so much to her descendants and to those telling her story.

"When you look at the historical record between 1935 and 1950, the most powerful and influential African-American living in the United States was a black woman named Mary McLeod Bethune," said Park Ranger John T. Fowler, II with National Capitol Parks-East.

He says the addition of Bethune's statue, which replaces a confederate general, speaks volumes about her impact on this country.

He believes it will help to keep her story alive to reach the head, hand, and heart of those who hear it.

"Her getting this honor will showcase to the other young people no matter your color, no matter where you come from, no matter the circumstances you find yourself in, you can accomplish anything as long as you put your mind to it," Fowler said.

“For me and my family, it just takes us to a whole other level of respect and understanding of her plight, what she came through in order to be that iconic person that she is today,” said Charles Bethune.

A bronze version of the statue will also be installed in Daytona Beach, Fl.