VA Has New Emancipation Monument; Unveiled After Removal Of Robert E. Lee Statute

Two weeks after the removal of Robert E. Lee’s statue, a monument of two 12-foot bronze statues of a man and woman holding a baby was up in the city of Richmond, Virginia. The monument depicts the family’s freedom from slavery.

PEOPLE reported that theEmancipation and Freedom Monument was unveiled earlier this week and placed about two miles away from where Lee’s statue once sat.

The new monument has been in the making since 2013, a website for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial commission stated.

A plaque on the case of the monument honors the 10 Black Virginians who worked on the “centuries-long fight for emancipation and freedom.” There were nearly 100 nominations, but only five individuals who fought against slavery were chosen and five who fought for equality from 1865 to 1970.

Among the names are Virginians Dred Scott, William Harvey Carney — a former enslaved person who became the first Black recipient of the Medal of Honor — and John Mercer Langston, Virginia’s first Black member of Congress.

“Today, I attended the powerful unveiling of the Emancipation and Freedom Statue in Richmond. The monument is an important step in telling a more inclusive story of Virginia’s history,” Gov. Ralph Northam wrote on social media Wednesday.

“The Emancipation and Freedom monument captures the emotion of the end of slavery. It honors the resilience of Black Virginians who resisted, rebelled, and self-liberated,” added State Sen. Jennifer McClellan. “Emancipation was not a moment, it was a movement. We carry on the work for equality and freedom today.”

Earlier this year, the state’s Supreme Court ruled that Lee’s statue—which was covered in graffiti—be taken down from the capitol grounds.

Today, I attended the powerful unveiling of the Emancipation and Freedom Statue in Richmond. The monument is an important step in telling a more inclusive story of Virginia's history. Thank you to @JennMcClellanVA and the VA MLK Commission for your hard work on this project. pic.twitter.com/cfxOLS13h5

— Governor Ralph Northam (@VAGovernor73) September 22, 2021