Confederate General Robert E. Lee Statue Removed From U.S. Capitol, Replaced With Statue Of Civil Rights Leader

Virginia removed a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from the U.S. Capitol. The statue will be replaced with a sculpture of civil rights leader Barbara Rose Johns.

“We should all be proud of this important step forward for our Commonwealth and our country,” Ralph Northam, the Governor of Virginia said. “The Confederacy is a symbol of Virginia’s racist and divisive history, and it is past time we tell our story with images of perseverance, diversity, and inclusion.”

On April 23, 151, 16-year old Johns led a strike against “overcrowded and inferior conditions of the all-Black school compared to those of White students.”

The removal comes after a summer of protests against the killing of George Floyd. In October, a judge ruled that Northam could remove the statue.

“We deserve to be represented by a figure who truly embodies Virginia’s values,” Representative Jennifer Wexton said in a tweet.