Virginia State Capital Removes Statue Of Confederate, Robert E. Lee
A statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee stood over Richmond for generations has been taken down and hauled away Wednesday.
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Following protests against racial injustice last summer, the removal of one of the largest monuments to confederacy had hundreds of people joining each other in cheer and song as the 21-foot-tall bronze statue was lifted off its base and lowered to the ground.
“This was a long time coming, part of the healing process so Virginia can move forward and be a welcoming state with inclusiveness and diversity,” stated by Gov. Ralph Northam, who was in attendance to witness the event. The Democrat shared it represents “more than 400 years of history that we should not be proud of,” and congratulated Virginians for being apart of its removal.
“It’s very difficult to imagine, certainly, even two years ago that the statues on Monument Avenue would actually be removed,” Ana Edwards, a community activist shared. “It’s representative of the fact that we’re sort of peeling back the layers of injustice that Black people and people of color have experienced when governed by white supremacist policies for so long.”
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According to Apnews, Once the statue was on the ground a crew used a power saw to cut it in half so it could be hauled under the highways overpass. Residents were so excited and started to chant, “Whose streets? Our streets!” and sang, “Hey, hey, hey, goodbye.”
The Virginia Governor referred to this historical moment as “hopefully a new day and new era in Virginia.”