Washington DC’s NBC News affiliate reports:
A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that represented Virginia in the U.S. Capitol for 111 years has been removed.
The statue was removed from Statuary Hall overnight, the office of Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced early Monday. A commission formed by the General Assembly decided that Lee was not a fitting symbol for the state.
“Confederate images do not represent who we are in Virginia, that’s why we voted unanimously to remove this statue,” Sen. Louise Lucas said in a press release sent from Northam’s office early Monday.
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A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that represented Virginia in the U.S. Capitol has been removed. A commission has recommended replacing Lee’s statue with a statue of Barbara Johns, who protested conditions at her all-Black high school. https://t.co/vcndAcjl5y
— The Associated Press (@AP) December 21, 2020
Early this morning, I witnessed the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue from the U.S. Capitol.
It was a historic & overdue moment.
I’m proud the work @RepMcEachin & I started a year ago led to this. We deserve to be represented by a figure who truly embodies Virginia’s values. pic.twitter.com/EIZwNaO8pX
— Rep. Jennifer Wexton (@RepWexton) December 21, 2020
A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee has been removed from the U.S. Capitol overnight.
It will be replaced with a a statue of civil rights icon Barbara Rose Johns. pic.twitter.com/YU1kuAzK5N
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) December 21, 2020