Democrat Lawmakers From Virginia Call for General Robert E. Lee Statue to be Removed From U.S. Capitol

Two Democrat lawmakers from Virginia are calling for the state’s statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee to be removed from the US Capitol.

Reps. Jennifer Wexton and A. Donald McEachin have asked that the state’s Democrat Governor Ralph Northam, who was photographed wearing blackface and got a free pass, make removing the statue a priority in 2020.

“These statutes aimed to rewrite Lee’s reputation from that of a cruel slave owner and Confederate General to portraying him as a kind man and reluctant war hero who selflessly served his home state of Virginia,” they wrote to Northam, according to a report from The Hill.

The statue of General Lee is housed in the National Statuary Hall Collection in DC, where each state is allowed to place two. Lee’s is housed in the Crypt. The lawmakers want to see the Confederate statue replaced with one of civil rights leader Oliver Hill or Booker T. Washington.

“As Virginians, we have a responsibility to not only learn from but also confront our history,” their letter continued. “As part of this responsibility, we must strive for a more complete telling of history by raising up the voices, stories, and memories of minorities and people of color.”

In order to replace the statue, the Democrat-controlled state legislature would have to pass a bill which would then need to be signed by Northam.

 

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