Saturday marked a day of sweeping changes to the landscape of Charlottesville, Va., as local officials removed three statues seen by many as symbols of …
Saturday marked a day of sweeping changes to the landscape of Charlottesville, Va., as local officials removed three statues seen by many as symbols of perpetuating racial inequality in America. Early Saturday morning, the city took down statues of confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. Then, during an emergency midday meeting of the city council, officials unanimously voted to remove another statue featuring Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and Shoshone interpreter Sacagawea. Public outcry over the statue of Lee became the backdrop for an August 2017 « Unite the Right » rally in which white supremacists descended on the city, ultimately leading to the death of one counterprotester. As as a crane neared the Lee monument Saturday morning, Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker — the city’s first black female mayor — spoke to a crowd gathered at the site. « Taking down this statue is one small step closer to the goal of helping Charlottesville, Va.
