A statue of Confederate Civil War General Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia, is set to be taken down on Wednesday, September 8. The 12-ton, six-story bronze statue was a centerpiece of protests over racial injustice. Per <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/09/07/us/virginia-robert-e-lee-statue-removal-date/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a>, the Commonwealth of Virginia announced on Sunday it would remove the confederate statue, stashing it in a secure state-owned storage site until a decision on its future is finalized. Governor of Virginia Ralph Northam, a Democrat, announced plans to remove the statue in June 2020, 10 days after white Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd, who was Black, sparking nationwide protests. [[youtubewidget||https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBMOoHAkMrY]] Statues honoring leaders of the pro-slavery Confederate side in the American Civil War have become a focus of protests against racism in recent years. Many have been not only campaigning, but protesting against the statues as they rallied for their removal. Lawsuits seeking to block the removal were filed by nearby residents who said they had a property right to keep the statue in place, per <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/virginia-remove-12-ton-robert-lee-statue-state/story?id=79862294" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC News</a>. However, the court disagreed, saying the documents that controlled the statue's location were outdated and unenforceable. <img class=" wp-image-1263125561" src="https://img.vt.co/2021/09/K87YM9-744x1024.jpg" alt="" width="354" height="487" />[[imagecaption|| Credit: Buddy Mays / Alamy]] Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said whatever replaces the Lee statue should send the clear message that "Richmond is no longer the capital of the Confederacy." "We are a diverse, open and welcoming city, and our symbols need to reflect that reality," he added. It comes as another statue of Robert E. Lee, that stood proudly in Charlottesville, Virginia, <a href="https://vt.co/news/charlottesville-finally-removes-confederate-statues-that-sparked-fatal-rally" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was also removed back in July, along with a statue of General Stonewall Jackson</a>. The statues played a key part in the 2017 Unite The Right rally, which ended with Heather Heyer being killed after a neo-Nazi drove his truck into the crowd of counter-protesters. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1435046445237813248]]  After her tragic death, the city planned on removing the controversial statues, however several people then launched lawsuits against the Virginia city in a desperate bid to block the removal of the statues. Despite their efforts, The Supreme Court ruled in April that the city could remove the statues, overturning a circuit court’s 2017 decision to keep them in place. It's since been argued that having Confederate general statues pays tribute to America's history of slavery and racism. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/AP/status/1434976706020978693]]  Then on Saturday, July 10, work finally began to remove the statues. The vote took place on Monday, July 5, and passed unanimously. After voting took place, residents were given 30 days to decide where the statues should be relocated to. The city is requesting proposals "for any museum, historical society, government or military battlefield interested in acquiring the Statues, or either of them, for relocation and placement", per <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/08/us/charlottesville-confederate-statues/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a>. Until a new home is found for the statues, they will remain in storage, according to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jul/10/charlottesville-statue-" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Guardian</a>. <h6>Featured image credit: Anne Rippy / Alamy</h6>

Robert E. Lee statue in Virginia's capital will be removed on Wednesday, officials say

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