Confederate statue removed from U.S. Capitol

The long-standing statue of the Confederate General, Robert E. Lee, was removed from the U.S. Capitol overnight after more than 100 years. The statue was contributed by the state of Virginia to the National Statuary Hall Collection located at the Capitol.

Statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that has represented Virginia in US Capitol for 111 years has been removed.https://t.co/dAT4CMvnNa

— David Crary (@CraryAP) December 21, 2020

Virginia Governor (Dem.) Ralph Northam supports the removal of the Lee statue and a representative of his office was present during the removal along with Democrat representatives of Nothern Virginia in Congress including Rep. Jennifer Wexton and Senator Tim Kaine. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi also supported the removal of the Lee statue stating, “There is no room for celebrating the bigotry of the Confederacy in the Capitol or any other place of honor in our country.”

This statue removal is one of many Confederate monuments that are being removed to end the glorification of the Confederacy and preserving historical artifacts that can educate future generations to avoid repeating history. The Lee statue will be housed in Richmond at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture.

Virginia removed its statue of Confederate leader Robert E. Lee from the United States Capitol overnight https://t.co/ueSWBdTTJ6 pic.twitter.com/TgdD8YIPtk

— Forbes (@Forbes) December 21, 2020

The state of Virginia acknowledges the divisive state history connected to the Confederacy and acknowledging civil rights history with a new statue. Virginia will be contributing a new statue of civil rights leader Barbara Rose Johns Powell. According to the proposed budget for the new replacement, the statue is estimated to cost $500,000 for the erection of the statue if approved by the General Assembly.

Barbara Rose Johns Powell was a civil right pioneer who organized a student strike and law suit that helped end segregation. She was inducted yesterday into the National Women's Hall of Fame. #BlackWomenLead @WomenoftheHall pic.twitter.com/GqgRNeZVvx

— Susan B. Anthony Ctr (@UofR_SBAC) December 11, 2020

This is one of many Confederate monuments that are being taken from public areas to be displayed in museums to focus more on the history rather than public glorification. The removal of Confederate monuments is becoming more prevalent with approximately 114 monuments removed from public places with numerous requests for removal.