Sunday night, Virginia removed its statue of Robert E. Lee from the U.S. Capitol.
Governor Northam said on Twitter: “This is an important step forward—it is past time we tell our story with images of perseverance, diversity, and inclusion.”
Lee’s statue had stood with George Washington’s statue since 1909 as Virginia’s representatives in the Capitol. Every state gets two statues.
The state commission has recommended replacing Lee’s statue with a statue of Barbara Johns. She protested conditions at her all-Black high school in the town of Farmville in 1951. Her court case became part of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.
(Photos courtesy Governor Northam’s office)
