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At 4 am on Monday, in the crypt of the United States Capitol, a team of workers removed the statue of Robert E. Lee that since 1909 has represented the Commonwealth of Virginia in the National Statuary Hall Collection.
Three years after neo-Confederates, neo-Nazis, and their white nationalist allies rioted in Charlottesville, Va., over proposals to remove a statue in that city that honored the general who commanded the Civil War forces that defended slavery, one of the most recognizable monuments to the Confederacy and its treasonous generals was removed from the citadel of American governance in Washington, D.C.
A statue of Robert E. Lee was removed from the U.S. Capitol early Monday. Credit: Office of Governor Northam
Virginia Removes Its Robert E. Lee Statue From U.S. Capitol By
at 6:39 am NPR
For more than 100 years, two statues representing Virginia have stood at the U.S. Capitol: one of George Washington and another of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
But early Monday, the Lee statue was removed from the National Statuary Hall s collection. It s expected to be replaced by a statue honoring civil rights activist Barbara Johns. This is a historic and long-overdue moment for our Commonwealth, U.S. Reps. Donald McEachin and Jennifer Wexton, both Democrats from Virginia, said in a statement. The Robert E. Lee statue honors a legacy of division, oppression, and racism â a dark period in the history of our Commonwealth and our country.
The
Washington Postreported it will be replaced by a statue of Barbara Johns, who was a civil rights activist as a teen in Farmville, Virginia.
“Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) had requested the removal over the summer after a commission chartered by the General Assembly decided that a man who fought to uphold slavery was not a fitting symbol for a diverse and modern state,” the
Post reported.
“I look forward to seeing a trailblazing young woman of color represent Virginia in the U.S. Capitol, where visitors will learn about Barbara Johns’ contributions to America and be empowered to create positive change in their communities just like she did,” Northam said Sunday night in press release.
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Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced early Monday morning that overnight his state removed a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from the U.S. Capitol s National Statuary Hall Collection.
Each state is permitted to have two statues in the collection, and since 1909 Virginia had one of Lee and one of President George Washington. A state commission last week decided that a statue of civil rights leader Barbara Rose Johns will take its place. The Confederacy is a symbol of Virginia’s racist and divisive history, and it is past time we tell our story with images of perseverance, diversity and inclusion, Northam said in a statement. I look forward to seeing a trailblazing young woman of color represent Virginia in the U.S. Capitol, where visitors will learn about Barbara Johns’ contributions to America and be empowered to create positive change in their communities just like she did.