Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond.Photo: Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty
More than eight months after a statue of Robert E. Lee was removed from the U.S. Capitol, Virginia’s Supreme Court on Thursdayruled unanimouslythat the state can take down its own statue of the Confederate general.
The statue, first erected in 1890, sits in the capital city of Richmond.
NBC News reported that, in a 7-0 decision, the state justices determined that its display more than a century later “communicates principles that many believe to be inconsistent with the values the Commonwealth currently wishes to express.”
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, 61, issued an order to remove the statue in June 2020, 10 days after the killing of unarmed Black manGeorge Floydin Minneapolis.
Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond.RYAN M. KELLY/AFP via Getty
Residents of the state attempted to block that order in lawsuits citing 1887 and 1890 deeds, in which Virginia promised to maintain the statue forever.
In response to the ruling, Northam issued a statement saying that the removal of the statue would allow for “a more inclusive future — where the Commonwealth glorifies the Confederacy no longer.”
In a press release following the unanimous ruling, Northam’s office said that the state had already beenplanning for the statue’s removalfor months, but noted it would require several days of work.
In 2020, asdemonstrations against racial injusticeswept the country —and the globe— so too didefforts to remove statues and other iconographyaround the U.S. that memorialized figures from the Confederacy.
In December 2020, the statue of Lee was taken down at the U.S. Capitol, where it had served as a representation of the state of Virginia.
In a news release at the time, Northam called the removal of the Capitol statue of Lee an “important step” for Virginia and the United States.
“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,” the governor said.
source: people.com
