Activists hail Lee statue removal, say more work remains

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RICHMOND, Va. – When an tremendous statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee was hoisted disconnected its pedestal Wednesday successful the erstwhile superior of the Confederacy and carted disconnected to storage, galore civilian rights activists saw it arsenic a measurement toward a much inclusive Virginia, if lone a symbolic one.

In interviews, activists crossed generations celebrated the improvement but said enactment remains to some code systemic societal inequities and archer a much implicit communicative of Richmond’s past successful its nationalist spaces.

Here are the perspectives of immoderate of those advocates:

ELIZABETH JOHNSON RICE

When she watched the Lee statue travel down from its pedestal, Elizabeth Johnson Rice was amazed astatine however seeing it from a caller position emphasized conscionable however monolithic the bronze fig was.

The 21-foot-tall (6-meter-tall) statue depicting Lee connected horseback successful subject attire was enactment up aft the Civil War, erected successful grant of a losing wide who surrendered, said Rice, a subordinate of the “Richmond 34” radical of Virginia Union University students who successful 1960 staged a sit-in to protestation segregation astatine a downtown section store.

“And adjacent with that loss, they wanted to marque it higher than thing else,” she said of the statue, which was chopped into 2 pieces and hauled distant to an undisclosed retention site. What volition beryllium done with it successful the aboriginal is unclear.

Rice noted the opposition betwixt the immensity of the Lee statue and a acold much humble tribute to the sit-in that she was portion of, which led to 1 of the archetypal wide arrests of the civilian rights movement. She and galore different advocates accidental Richmond should enactment to elevate however its Black past is told successful nationalist spaces.

“Even to this day, radical inactive don’t cognize astir the Richmond 34,” said Rice, who is 80.

A cardinal precedence for galore advocates is simply a much important memorialization successful the Shockoe Bottom vicinity of Richmond’s pivotal relation successful the lucrative home enslaved trade. That effort is successful progress but moving astatine a glacial pace.

HENRY MARSH III

Henry Marsh III, a civilian rights lawyer who successful 1977 became Richmond’s archetypal Black mayor, said helium was personally pleased to spot the Lee statue removed. But helium besides felt determination should inactive beryllium country for radical to admit oregon adjacent admit different parts of Lee’s nonmilitary legacy, including his clip aft the warfare arsenic the president of Washington & Lee University successful Lexington.

Marsh said the now-removed statues were large works of creation — and they attracted affluent radical connected prestigious Monument Avenue, helium added with a chuckle. He said helium hoped the Lee statue volition beryllium moved to a spot wherever radical who truthful take could inactive presumption it.

“I deliberation we person to support learning,” said Marsh, 87.

As for the aboriginal of Monument Avenue, which utilized to beryllium location to 4 different elephantine Confederate monuments earlier the metropolis disassembled them past summer, helium cautioned against immoderate determination to instal caller statues successful the future.

“I deliberation there’s a occupation with idolizing radical with statues,” Marsh said. “Because times change.”

Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam ordered the removal of the statue aft protests erupted successful Richmond and nationwide implicit the constabulary sidesplitting of George Floyd successful Minneapolis.

State officials person said they privation to permission the Lee statue pedestal successful place, astatine slightest for now, with the anticipation that a community-involved rethinking of the full of Monument Avenue volition footwear disconnected soon.

THE REV. BENJAMIN CAMPBELL

The Rev. Benjamin Campbell, an Episcopal clergyman and longtime civilian rights activist, was progressive successful a propulsion to erect a statue successful grant of tennis legend, Richmond autochthonal and humanitarian Arthur Ashe connected Monument Avenue successful the 1990s.

The dedication of that statue successful 1996, aft a long, sometimes tense fight, was of immense importance, to “give you an denotation of what the civilian rights assemblage considered a triumph astatine that time,” helium said successful an interview.

The Lee statue removal was besides a measurement of significance, but a symbolic one, Campbell said.

“You person tremendous issues of structural racism. ... Removing the symbols of it from the crushed does not region the structures,” helium said.

The metropolis present needs to crook its attraction to issues specified arsenic a taxation operation that disproportionately affects lower-income radical and its “absolute nonaccomplishment to supply equity successful nationalist education,” said Campbell, who is 80.

The superior metropolis has immoderate of the lowest-performing schools successful the state, and caller efforts to code persistent segregation person been met with organized parental resistance.

JOSEPH ROGERS

Joseph Rogers, a descendant of enslaved people, assemblage activistic and historian, felt a jumble of emotions arsenic helium stood successful a nationalist viewing country and watched the statue beryllium pulled disconnected its pedestal.

Rogers’ great-, great-, great-grandfather was calved enslaved and went connected to go a palmy lawyer who served successful the Virginia House of Delegates from 1889 to 1890.

“Seeing the removal ... and knowing that James was successful Richmond erstwhile it went up, serving successful the Virginia legislature and putting his past measure forward, it was a moment, it was a momentous occasion,” helium said.

“To accidental the least, it was a batch of analyzable feelings seeing each of those connections of implicit 130 years travel together,” Rogers said.

Rogers, 31, is an organizer with the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality, and has advocated for constabulary reforms and affordable housing.

“We’re taking a measurement successful the close absorption ... but there’s a batch of enactment to beryllium done. It gives america a roadworthy representation of what tin beryllium done, clip to unravel much than 2 centuries of racist narratives that underlie our knowing of the United States,” helium said.

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