INSIDER
In reversal, Virginia school board votes to restore Confederate names to 2 schools
Read full article: In reversal, Virginia school board votes to restore Confederate names to 2 schoolsA Virginia school board has voted to restore the names of Confederate military leaders to a high school and an elementary school four years after the names had been removed.
Jacksonville, Florida mayor has Confederate monument removed after years of controversy
Read full article: Jacksonville, Florida mayor has Confederate monument removed after years of controversyCrews removed a Confederate monument from a Jacksonville, Florida, park following years of public controversy.
National Cathedral replaces windows honoring Confederacy with stained-glass homage to racial justice
Read full article: National Cathedral replaces windows honoring Confederacy with stained-glass homage to racial justiceThe landmark Washington National Cathedral has unveiled new stained-glass windows with a theme of racial justice.
Civil rights groups condemn 'Soul Fest' concerts at Georgia park with giant Confederate carving
Read full article: Civil rights groups condemn 'Soul Fest' concerts at Georgia park with giant Confederate carvingCivil rights groups are criticizing a concert series with Black performers dubbed โSoul Festโ that is being held at a Georgia park with a giant carving of Confederate leaders.
Supreme Court won't review North Carolina's decision to nix license plates with Confederate flag
Read full article: Supreme Court won't review North Carolina's decision to nix license plates with Confederate flagThe Supreme Court says it wonโt review North Carolinaโs decision to stop issuing specialty license plates with the Confederate flag.
Stonewall Brigade plans to open Rockbridge Confederate Park
Read full article: Stonewall Brigade plans to open Rockbridge Confederate ParkQuietly at the end of last month, members of the Rockbridge County-based Stonewall Brigade dedicated a property that will one day become a park that is home to Confederate statues and monuments.
Torch-carrying marchers indicted in Charlottesville rally
Read full article: Torch-carrying marchers indicted in Charlottesville rallyA grand jury in Virginia has indicted multiple people on felony charges for carrying flaming torches with the intent to intimidate during a rally at the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville nearly six years ago.
Rioter who menaced officer with Confederate flag gets prison
Read full article: Rioter who menaced officer with Confederate flag gets prisonA Delaware man who threatened a Black police officer with a pole attached to a Confederate battle flag as he stormed the U.S. Capitol has been sentenced to three years in prison.
Mastriano wore Confederate uniform for faculty photo
Read full article: Mastriano wore Confederate uniform for faculty photoPennsylvania GOP gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano posed in a Confederate uniform for a faculty photo at the Army War College, three years before he retired from the U.S. Army.
Confederate flag-toting man, son convicted in Capitol riot
Read full article: Confederate flag-toting man, son convicted in Capitol riotA federal judge has convicted a Confederate flag-toting man and his son of charges that they stormed the U.S. Capitol together to obstruct Congress from certifying President Joe Bidenโs electoral victory.
SC workers may get Juneteenth, Confederate holiday choice
Read full article: SC workers may get Juneteenth, Confederate holiday choiceA bill that would allow state employees to take the Juneteenth holiday or any other day instead of Confederate Memorial Day has unanimously passed the South Carolina Senate.
Experts pull documents, money from Lee statue time capsule
Read full article: Experts pull documents, money from Lee statue time capsuleConservation experts in Virginiaโs capital have pulled books, money, ammunition, documents and other artifacts from a time capsule found in the remnants of a pedestal that once held a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E.
Crews may have found 1887 time capsule in Lee statue base
Read full article: Crews may have found 1887 time capsule in Lee statue baseCrews working to remove the pedestal where a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee towered over Richmond for more than a century believe they've found a time capsule that was buried there in 1887.
Southwest Virginia museum protesting plan to melt down Charlottesvilleโs Robert E. Lee statue
Read full article: Southwest Virginia museum protesting plan to melt down Charlottesvilleโs Robert E. Lee statueTwo unsuccessful bidders for the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that drew violent protesters to Charlottesville have filed a letter protesting the city's process to get rid of the statue, which ended last week in the acceptance of a proposal to melt it down and turn it into new art.
Charlottesvilleโs Lee statue to be melted down for new art
Read full article: Charlottesvilleโs Lee statue to be melted down for new artThe statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that drew violent protests to Charlottesville, Virginia, will be melted down and turned into a new piece of public art by an African American heritage center.
Charlottesvilleโs Lee statue to be melted down for new art
Read full article: Charlottesvilleโs Lee statue to be melted down for new artThe statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that drew violent protests to Charlottesville, Virginia, will be melted down and turned into a new piece of public art by an African American heritage center.
Governor Northam announces removal of Lee statue pedestal, transfer land to City
Read full article: Governor Northam announces removal of Lee statue pedestal, transfer land to CitySunday, Governor Ralph Northam announced the removal of the Robert E. Lee monument pedestal that displayed the Confederate General. This is part of an agreement reached with the City of Richmond to transfer the state-owned land to the City.
Northam to remove Lee statue pedestal, transfer land to city
Read full article: Northam to remove Lee statue pedestal, transfer land to cityVirginia Gov. Ralph Northam has announced that his administration will remove an enormous pedestal that until earlier this year held a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E.
Virginia Supreme Court wonโt reconsider decision allowing Robert E. Lee statue removal
Read full article: Virginia Supreme Court wonโt reconsider decision allowing Robert E. Lee statue removalVirginia's Supreme Court won't reconsider its decision to allow removing a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that was cut into pieces and hauled away from Richmond's Monument Avenue weeks ago.
Famed cathedral names artist to replace Confederate windows
Read full article: Famed cathedral names artist to replace Confederate windowsWashington National Cathedral says an artist renowned for his works depicting African American life will design new stained-glass windows with racial justice themes to replace ones with Confederate imagery.
Virginia Supreme Court rules state can remove Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond
Read full article: Virginia Supreme Court rules state can remove Robert E. Lee statue in RichmondThe Virginia Supreme Court of Virginia ruled Thursday that the state can take down an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that has towered over a traffic island in Richmond for more than a century and has become a symbol of racial injustice.
Rockbridge County town looking to acquire Charlottesvilleโs Confederate statues
Read full article: Rockbridge County town looking to acquire Charlottesvilleโs Confederate statuesAt least 13 organizations and one municipality have expressed interest in acquiring two statues of Confederate generals removed from downtown Charlottesville parks, including one monument that was the focus of a violent white nationalist rally in 2017, according to city documents.
Confederate bust moved from Tennessee Capitol building
Read full article: Confederate bust moved from Tennessee Capitol buildingA decades-long fight has been resolved in Tennessee, over the bust of a Confederate general and early Ku Klux Klan leader that stood in a place of honor inside the state's Capitol.
Judge rules Confederate monument be removed from outside Roanoke County courthouse
Read full article: Judge rules Confederate monument be removed from outside Roanoke County courthouseA Roanoke County judge has ordered a Confederate statue in Salem located outside the Roanoke County courthouse to be removed.
Roanoke City Council set to make final vote on renaming of Lee Plaza next week
Read full article: Roanoke City Council set to make final vote on renaming of Lee Plaza next weekThe City of Roanoke is now steps closer to changing the name of Lee Plaza, named after the Confederate leader, Robert E. Lee.
Christiansburg approves tribute to African American history to be installed near existing Confederate monument
Read full article: Christiansburg approves tribute to African American history to be installed near existing Confederate monumentChristiansburg Town Council approved an African American History and Storyboard Project to be permanently installed in the Town Square near an existing Confederate monument.
'An incredible day' as Lee statue removed in Charlottesville
Read full article: 'An incredible day' as Lee statue removed in CharlottesvilleA Confederate monument that helped spark a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, has been hoisted off its stone pedestal and hauled away to storage.
Charlottesville to remove Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson statues on Saturday
Read full article: Charlottesville to remove Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson statues on SaturdayA Confederate monument that helped spark a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville is set to come down Saturday, the city announced.
Virginia city council votes to remove Confederate statues
Read full article: Virginia city council votes to remove Confederate statuesOfficials in a Virginia city have voted unanimously to remove two statues of Confederate generals, including one that was the focus of a violent white nationalist rally in 2017.
Virginia court to hear challenges to removal of Lee statue
Read full article: Virginia court to hear challenges to removal of Lee statueThe Supreme Court of Virginia is set to hear arguments in legal challenges to Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's plan to take down a 131-year-old statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E.
Final remnants of Confederate monuments in Richmond could be gone this summer
Read full article: Final remnants of Confederate monuments in Richmond could be gone this summerThe final remnants of Confederate monuments in Richmond could be gone this summer. Plans are coming together to remove the final city-owned statue and all the pedestals they once stood upon, according to NBC12 reporting.
Arrest warrant issued for man in Confederate monument theft
Read full article: Arrest warrant issued for man in Confederate monument theftPolice in Alabama have issued an arrest warrant for a man in connection with the bizarre theft of a Confederate monument that was taken from an Alabama cemetery and found in Louisiana.
Roanoke narrows Lee Plaza re-name to four options
Read full article: Roanoke narrows Lee Plaza re-name to four optionsThe City of Roanoke has narrowed it down to four possible names for Lee Plaza. Itโs the former home of the Confederate memorial in downtown Roanoke and council wants the name changed.
Arizona GOP wants felony for protesters who damage statues
Read full article: Arizona GOP wants felony for protesters who damage statuesRepublicans in the Arizona Legislature are reacting to last year's wave of damage to Confederate monuments by civil rights protesters here and across the nation by working to make it a felony to damage or destroy any public or private monument or statue. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)PHOENIX โ Republicans in the Arizona Legislature are reacting to last year's wave of damage to Confederate monuments by civil rights protesters here and across the nation by working to make it a felony to damage or destroy any public or private monument or statue. Rep. John Kavanagh supported his proposal at a Senate committee hearing Thursday by saying public monuments are a statement by the community that demand more protection. The proposal adds defacing a monument or statue to existing law that makes it a aggravated felony offense to deface a cemetery headstone or church. Scores of Confederate statues, monuments or markers were removed from public land across the country after Floydโs death.
Whatโs News Today: Special election, tax rate hearings
Read full article: Whatโs News Today: Special election, tax rate hearingsThe Botetourt County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing this afternoon about moving a Confederate monument. The public hearing is scheduled for 3:45 p.m. The Roanoke County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing about tax rates for the next fiscal year. The board will also hold a public hearing about incorporating the amended Oak Grove Plan into the countyโs Comprehensive Plan. AdThe Salem School Board could adopt the budget for the next fiscal year.
Public hearing set to decide fate of Botetourt County Confederate monument
Read full article: Public hearing set to decide fate of Botetourt County Confederate monumentFINCASTLE, Va. โ Botetourt County leaders are holding a public hearing Tuesday to decide the fate of a Confederate monument. The monument currently sits outside the county courthouse in Fincastle. While it will likely be relocated a few hundred yards away, within Courthouse Square, before any move can happen, board members need to hear from the public. โItโs important to get a broad perspective from the people of Botetourt County,โ said Clinton. If the board votes to move the monument, thereโs a 30-day waiting period to hear offers from museums or historical societies.
$200,000 worth of damage done to presidents, Confederate graves at Virginia cemetery
Read full article: $200,000 worth of damage done to presidents, Confederate graves at Virginia cemeteryRICHMOND, Va. โ Gravestones and memorials were toppled and spray-painted at a cemetery in Virginia that holds the graves of two U.S. presidents as well as Confederate soldiers and generals. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that $200,000 worth of damage was done Saturday at the Hollywood Cemetery. More than 18,000 Confederate soldiers and generals are buried there. AdThe damage was done in the Presidents Circle section of the cemetery. Thatโs where U.S. presidents James Monroe and John Tyler are buried.
Roanoke city leaders asked for suggestions to rename Lee Plaza
Read full article: Roanoke city leaders asked for suggestions to rename Lee PlazaROANOKE, VA. โ The Confederate memorial in downtown Roanoke was removed last summer and now city leaders are working on renaming the plaza where it stood. On Thursday night, the public got to weigh in on what they think Lee Plaza, named after the Confederate General, should be called. A few others liked something more generic such as Patriots Plaza or Freedom Plaza. Roanokeโs Democratic city council has looked unfavorable on Lee Plaza and the memorial over the last few years. A local cemetery took possession of the Confederate memorial and intends to put it on display with appropriate context.
Attorney General asks Supreme Court to reject appeal in Lee statue case
Read full article: Attorney General asks Supreme Court to reject appeal in Lee statue caseFILE - This June 27, 2017, file photo, shows the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee that stands in the middle of a traffic circle on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Va. A lawsuit seeking to prevent Virginia Gov. Ralph Northams administration from removing an enormous statue of Gen. Lee can proceed, a judge ruled Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, clearing the way for a trial in the fall. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)RICHMOND, Va. โ Attorney General Mark Herring has asked the Supreme Court of Virginia to reject an appeal from a group of Richmond residents seeking to stop the governor from removing an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. In a brief filed Wednesday afternoon, Herring urged the court to reject the plaintiffsโ petition for an appeal outright or expedite the proceedings if the court decides to hear the case. A circuit court judge sided with the state after a trial in October.
Supervisors accept recommendation to move Botetourt Countyโs Confederate monument
Read full article: Supervisors accept recommendation to move Botetourt Countyโs Confederate monumentFINCASTLE, Va. โ The plan to move a Confederate monument in Botetourt County is moving forward. The monument, which is currently in front of the Botetourt County Courthouse, will likely be moved not too far away. On Tuesday, the countyโs board of supervisors unanimously accepted a committeeโs recommendation to move it a few hundred yards away from its current location to the Botetourt County History Museum and add a plaque to provide historical context. Before any move can happen a public hearing will need to take place. That hearing has not yet been scheduled.
Fencing installed around Lee statue in Richmond
Read full article: Fencing installed around Lee statue in RichmondFILE - In this July 31, 2017, file photo, the sun sets behind the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Va. The poll conducted this month by Hampton University and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 46% support removal of Confederate statues and 42% oppose removal. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)RICHMOND, Va. โ A state agency announced Monday that it was installing fencing around an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond that Gov. โAs we await the resolution of legal challenges that have delayed the statueโs removal, DGS wants to be prepared to act quickly upon a final determination. The Lee statue is among the largest Confederate tributes in the United States.
Years of white supremacy threats culminated in Capitol riots
Read full article: Years of white supremacy threats culminated in Capitol riotsBoth within and outside the walls of the Capitol, banners and symbols of white supremacy and anti-government extremism were displayed as an insurrectionist mob swarmed the U.S. Capitol. โThese displays of white supremacy are not new,โ said Lecia Brooks, chief of staff of the Southern Poverty Law Center. While not all the anti-government groups were explicitly white supremacist, Tuchman said many support white supremacist beliefs. โThis is their new โLost Cause' and a continuation of the original โLost Cause,'โ she said. Brooks said she worries the rampage at the Capitol and proliferation of white supremacist symbols will encourage similar actions at state capitals.
Mississippi governor signs law for flag without rebel emblem
Read full article: Mississippi governor signs law for flag without rebel emblemMembers of the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol Honor Guard prepare to raise the new Mississippi State flag at the Capitol in Jackson, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. Tate Reeves signed a law that created the new state flag with magnolia at the center, six months after the state retired the last state flag in the U.S. that included the Confederate battle emblem. The law retiring the old flag also specified that the commission's proposed new flag would go on the Nov. 3 ballot for a yes-or-no vote. The Ku Klux Klan and other hate groups have waved the Confederate battle flag for decades. A few dozen people demonstrated on the south steps of the Mississippi Capitol in support of reviving the old flag.
Small-town Alabama resident transformed to protest leader
Read full article: Small-town Alabama resident transformed to protest leaderTransformed by leaving the virtually all-white town where she grew up, Dunston has been leading the demonstrations since August. โEverybodyโs getting tired,โ Marshall County Commission Chairman James Hutcheson said in an interview. Organizing through social media and word of mouth, Dunston decided to take on the Confederate monument. Travis Jackson, a Black Lives Matter activist who lives near Montgomery, said coming to protest in little Albertville is motivating. Counterprotesters are common, including an area Black man who supports the Confederate monument and rebel flag.
Botetourt County Confederate monument likely to move within court square
Read full article: Botetourt County Confederate monument likely to move within court squareBOTETOURT COUNTY, VA. โ After months of discussion on where the Botetourt County Confederate Monument should go, a decision is growing near. The monument currently sits in front of the courthouse in Fincastle and it likely wonโt be going far, although its new home will not be in front of the courthouse entrance. The committee asked the architects that are renovating courthouse square to find it a new home. โThe long and short of that is it will be located not too far from where it has been but the actual location will depend on the reconfiguration of courthouse square itself,โ Botetourt County Board of Supervisors member Steve Clinton said. The committee will formally present its research and recommendation to the board in January.
House votes to override Trump's veto of defense bill
Read full article: House votes to override Trump's veto of defense bill(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)WASHINGTON โ The Democratic-controlled House voted overwhelmingly Monday to override President Donald Trumpโs veto of a defense policy bill, setting the stage for what would be the first veto override of his presidency. House members voted 322-87 to override the veto, well above the two-thirds needed to override. Trump rejected the defense bill last week, saying it failed to limit social media companies he claims were biased against him during his failed reelection campaign. The veto override was supported by 212 Democrats, 109 Republicans and an independent. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in a rare break with Trump, had urged passage of the defense bill despite Trumpโs veto threat.
Lee statue removed from US Capitol is now in Virginia museum
Read full article: Lee statue removed from US Capitol is now in Virginia museumThis Monday, Dec. 21, 2020 photo provided by the Office of the Governor of Virginia shows a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee being removed from the National Statuary Hall Collection in Washington. The statue that has represented Virginia in the U.S. Capitol for 111 years has been removed after a state commission decided that Lee was not a fitting symbol for the state. (Jack Mayer/Office of Governor of Virginia, File)The Robert E. Lee statue that stood in the U.S. Capitol on behalf of the state of Virginia for 111 years has been taken to a museum in Richmond. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the 700-pound bronze statue of Lee arrived Tuesday at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. Ralph Northam requested the statueโs removal and a state commission decided that Lee was not a fitting symbol for the state.
Virginiaโs Lee statue has been removed from US Capitol
Read full article: Virginiaโs Lee statue has been removed from US CapitolWASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 17: Tourists walk past the Statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee that is located inside the US Capitol August 17, 2017 in Washington, DC. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has called for the removal of all Confederate statues from the United States Capitol. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)WASHINGTON โ A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that has represented Virginia in the U.S. Capitol for 111 years has been removed. The Washington Post reports that workers removed the statue from Statuary Hall early Monday morning. Leeโs statue had stood with George Washingtonโs statue since 1909 as Virginiaโs representatives in the Capitolโs honorary hall.
Pentagon memo maps out plan to expand diversity in the force
Read full article: Pentagon memo maps out plan to expand diversity in the forceThe Pentagon has endorsed a new slate of initiatives to expand diversity within the ranks and reduce prejudice, including in recruiting, retention and professional development across the force. After extensive wrangling and debate, Esper this summer issued a directive that banned the display of the Confederate flag, without mentioning the word โbanโ or that specific flag. Confederate flags, monuments and military base names became a national flashpoint in the weeks after Floyd's death. Ten major Army installations are named for Confederate Army officers, mostly senior generals, including Robert E. Lee. Among the 10 is Fort Benning, the namesake of Confederate Army Gen. Henry L. Benning, who was a leader of Georgiaโs secessionist movement and an advocate of preserving slavery.
Depiction of Robert E. Leeโs mansion removed from Arlington County logo
Read full article: Depiction of Robert E. Leeโs mansion removed from Arlington County logoARLINGTON COUNTY, Va. โ Arlington County is changing its logo to remove a stylized version of its namesake mansion because of its ties to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The county announced Wednesday that its County Board voted unanimously to adopt a new logo. The current depicts the pillars of Arlington House, a mansion overlooking the Potomac River that was Leeโs home before the Civil War. The change comes as Confederate names and symbols are removed from schools, roads and parks across Virginia and the South. It also comes shortly after northern Virginia congressional members introduced legislation to end the official designation of Arlington House, a National Park Service site surrounded by Arlington National Cemetery - as a โRobert E. Lee Memorial.โ
Northam seeks $25M for โhistoric justiceโ initiatives
Read full article: Northam seeks $25M for โhistoric justiceโ initiativesRICHMOND, Va. โ Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam has announced a proposal to spend $25 million to transform historical sites in Virginia, including the Richmond spot where a soaring statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee became a focal point of protests against racism. Northam said at a news conference Friday that nearly $11 million of the money would be used to reconstruct Richmondโs Monument Avenue, a historical boulevard that was lined with the Lee statue and other Confederate monuments for more than a century. His budget proposal would require the approval of the Democratic-controlled General Assembly.
Virginia Military Institute starts relocation process of Stonewall Jackson Statue
Read full article: Virginia Military Institute starts relocation process of Stonewall Jackson StatueThe Stonewall Jackson statue being removed from its location on VMI's campus on Dec. 7, 2020. LEXINGTON, Va. โ Virginia Military Institute starting the process of relocating its Stonewall Jackson Statue on Monday. โVMI does not define itself by this statue and that is why this move is appropriate. We are defined by our unique system of education and the quality and character of the graduates the Institute produces. Once all parts have arrived, crews will work to install the statue in the roundabout in front of the Virginia Museum of the Civil War.
Committee says Botetourt Confederate monument should end up in one of these two places
Read full article: Committee says Botetourt Confederate monument should end up in one of these two placesBOTETOURT COUNTY, Va. โ The Confederate monument in front of the Botetourt County Courthouse is likely to be on the move and should end up in one of two places. That is what the Committee on Monuments and Memorials in Botetourt County is set to recommend to the Board of Supervisors next month. In mid-2020, county leaders set their eyes on the monument and formed the committee. Board of Supervisors member Steve Clinton is a member and said early on their decision was clear. โIโm sure the recommendation will have a great deal of influence on what the board decides, but the final decision is in the hands of the board of supervisors,โ Clinton said.
Defense bill in danger over Confederate-named military bases
Read full article: Defense bill in danger over Confederate-named military basesRepublicans are vowing they will not send the broader bill to Trump if it includes language requiring bases named after Confederate officers to be renamed. โIt's Senate language that we want to agree to," said House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash. โSo there shouldn't be controversy here." โLook, the defense bill is really important," Smith said, expressing hope that Republicans would relent. Both the House and Senate defense measures passed by veto-proof margins but GOP leaders want to avoid the chances of a veto coming to pass. The Associated Press erroneously reported that failure to pass the legislation could hold up a pay raise for the military.
Franklin Countyโs Confederate statue isnโt moving
Read full article: Franklin Countyโs Confederate statue isnโt movingThe Confederate monument outside Franklin Countyโs courthouse is staying put. Officials voted on Tuesday to keep the monument, which stands outside the courthouse in Rocky Mount, in place. This comes after voters weighed in on a nonbinding referendum, with more than half voting to leave the statue instead of moving it to a museum or other historical site. Some of the supervisors talked about the possibility of putting a plaque near the monument to add context during Tuesdayโs meeting, but the board pushed that discussion to a later date.
Case dismissed against Virginia lawmaker accused of damaging monument
Read full article: Case dismissed against Virginia lawmaker accused of damaging monumentA judge in Virginia has dismissed charges against a Black state senator who police said conspired to damage a Confederate monument in the city of Portsmouth. The Virginian-Pilot reports that the charges against Sen. Louise Lucas were dismissed Monday at the request of the cityโs top prosecutor. The Commonwealthโs Attorney said the elements of the charges werenโt properly met. The charges stemmed from a protest in June during which heads were ripped off some of the monumentโs statues. Many said the charges against Lucas were political and unlikely to withstand legal scrutiny.
Did you vote against removing a confederate statue? Hereโs why your vote isnโt binding
Read full article: Did you vote against removing a confederate statue? Hereโs why your vote isnโt bindingIn Franklin County, voters overwhelmingly said โnoโ to relocating a Confederate statue from the courthouse grounds. Bridgette Craighead is the founder of the Franklin County chapter of Black Lives Matter, and she said she wasnโt surprised by the result. โI also know that a lot of the white people donโt know whatโs going on or why we feel so strongly about the Confederate statue," Craighead said. Leland Mitchell is the chairman in Franklin County and said he was surprised more people didnโt vote to remove it. โIf they have a heart, I would hope that they would vote to remove it," Craighead said.
Mississippi approves flag with magnolia, โIn God We Trustโ
Read full article: Mississippi approves flag with magnolia, โIn God We TrustโThe magnolia flower centered banner chosen Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020 by the Mississippi State Flag Commission flies outside the Old State Capitol Museum in downtown Jackson, Miss. โ Mississippi will fly a new state flag with a magnolia and the phrase โIn God We Trust,โ with voters approving the design Tuesday. It replaces a Confederate-themed flag state lawmakers retired months ago as part of the national reckoning over racial injustice. The final push for changing the Mississippi flag came from business, education, religious and sports groups โ including, notably, the Mississippi Baptist Convention and the Southeastern Conference. Separately, supporters of the old Mississippi flag are starting an initiative that could revive the old flag by putting the Confederate-themed banner and some other designs up for a statewide vote.
Cadets, alumni, parents have mixed reactions to VMIโs removal of Confederate monument
Read full article: Cadets, alumni, parents have mixed reactions to VMIโs removal of Confederate monumentLEXINGTON, Va. โ Virginia Military Institute is removing a symbol of its history: the Stonewall Jackson monument on Post. You know, Stonewall Jackson or these other Confederate traditions that they continue to upholdโ said Tucker. On the app, Bunton said that cadets have talked about protecting the statue at all costs and putting up a 24/7 guard. Though he said that there is a heritage at VMI and that Stonewall Jackson should not be viewed through a 21st century lens. โItโs much larger than the Jackson statue.
General Election results for Moving Confederate Symbols in Franklin and Halifax counties on Nov. 3, 2020
Read full article: General Election results for Moving Confederate Symbols in Franklin and Halifax counties on Nov. 3, 2020Two Confederate symbols could be on the move. In Franklin County and Halifax County, voters will voice their opinions as to what they think should happen to them. In both cases, county leaders are just looking to gauge public opinion, as the decision to move either symbol still completely rests with each countyโs board of supervisors. When 10 News reported on this issue in Franklin County back in July, board chairman Leland Mitchell said the results would be non-binding and the board would not just toss the vote aside. Below, youโll notice that the election results below refer to a Confederate statue in Franklin County and a Confederate monument in Halifax County.
VMI Board of Visitors votes to move schoolโs Stonewall Jackson statue
Read full article: VMI Board of Visitors votes to move schoolโs Stonewall Jackson statueLEXINGTON, Va. โ After months of debate, VMIโs Board of Visitors voted Thursday afternoon to move the collegeโs Stonewall Jackson statue. โThe board should consider addressing social issues, and thatโs what we are here to address today," said J. William Boland, the VMI Board of Visitors president, during the meeting. Along with moving the Confederate statue, the board of visitors wants to implement more actions to increase the schoolโs diversity. The board recommended considering some of VMI graduate and Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foyโs recommendations to improve the institute. Boland asked the board to submit their desired qualifications for the next superintendent to Scott within the next 10 days.
Caravan of cars demonstrate against Franklin County Confederate monument
Read full article: Caravan of cars demonstrate against Franklin County Confederate monumentROCKY MOUNT, Va. โ A group of protesters took their opposition of Franklin Countyโs Confederate monument to the street Saturday afternoon. The โCaravan For Justice" slowed their cars and honked their horns outside of the Franklin County Courthouse in Rocky Mount. Voters in Franklin County will decide whether or not to relocate the statue during the November election. โItโs time to move Franklin County forward," Turnage, who is Black, said. My daughter wants to be a lawyer; she canโt walk in that building and be a lawyer.โA Confederate monument has stood tall outside of the courthouse since 1910.
To stay or to go? Fate of a confederate monument in Franklin on November ballot
Read full article: To stay or to go? Fate of a confederate monument in Franklin on November ballotFRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. โ Election night is deeper than just who you may vote for in Franklin County. Voters will decide whether a Confederate monument will continue to live outside the county courthouse or be taken down. Henry Turnage, a Franklin County native, says the monument sends a negative message to the people of color in his community. โYou canโt run people of color in there and tell them they can receive justice," said Turnage. The group will caravan from Mary Elizabeth Park to the statue before heading to Pig River for a small rally.
Virginia has removed 40 Confederate symbols since George Floydโs death
Read full article: Virginia has removed 40 Confederate symbols since George Floydโs deathAcross the nation, there are now fewer symbols of the Confederacy as 102 of them have been removed since the death of George Floyd in May. Virginia has removed the most Confederate symbols of any state with 40, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The SPLC said that June and July each saw 38 symbols removed, with 13 in August, 12 in September and one this month. The organization said it track symbols that celebrate the Confederacy on public land, meaning symbols in graveyards, battlefields, on private property, or those erected in the spirit of reconciliation are not included in its count. Below is a list of the 102 symbols that have been removed:
Racial justice movement a factor for 5 state ballot measures
Read full article: Racial justice movement a factor for 5 state ballot measuresFILE - In this Tuesday, June 30, 2020 file photo, Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration employees Willie Townsend, left, and Joe Brown, attach a Mississippi state flag to the harness before raising it over the Capitol grounds in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)The Black Lives Matter movement isnโt named in any of the 120 statewide ballot measures up for a vote on Nov. 3. But this year's nationwide protests over police brutality and racial injustice are major factors in the campaigns in several states for measures with distinctive racial themes. In Mississippi and Rhode Island, Black supporters of the ballot measures hope this yearโs nationwide spotlight on racial injustice will bring a different outcome than when similar proposals were on the ballot previously. In Utah, the slavery measureโs lead sponsor was Rep. Sandra Hollins, the only Black person now serving in the Legislature.
Albemarle County spent $100K on Confederate statue removal
Read full article: Albemarle County spent $100K on Confederate statue removalALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. โ A county in Virginia spent more than $100,000 to take down its Confederate statue and hold and event around the removal. The Daily Progress reported Tuesday that the cost to pay a construction company for the removal in Albemarle County cost about $60,000. But there were also costs that included staff overtime, setting up barricades and live-streaming the event because of virus restrictions. Last month, the county removed the โAt Readyโ soldier statue and its base from outside its courthouse. In Charlottesville three years ago, hundreds of white supremacists gathered in part to protest the planned removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
Poll: Virginians about evenly divided on Confederate statues
Read full article: Poll: Virginians about evenly divided on Confederate statuesFALLS CHURCH, Va. โ In a state where Confederate monuments have stood for more than a century and have recently become a flashpoint in the national debate over racial injustice, Virginians remain about evenly divided on whether the statues should stay or go, according to a new poll. The poll conducted this month by Hampton University and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 46% support removal of Confederate statues and 42% oppose removal. The 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville that left a counterprotester dead had its origins in a city debate over whether to remove Confederate statues. On another topic, the poll found only about 1 in 4 Virginians support keeping schools in the state completely closed to in-person learning. According to the poll, only 27% of Virginians say K-12 schools should not reopen at all, and 22% say the same about colleges.
Poll: Virginians about evenly divided on Confederate statues
Read full article: Poll: Virginians about evenly divided on Confederate statuesIn a state where Confederate monuments have stood for more than a century and have recently become a flashpoint in the national debate over racial injustice, Virginians remain about evenly divided on whether the statues should stay or go, according to a new poll. The poll conducted this month by Hampton University and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 46% support removal of Confederate statues and 42% oppose removal. The poll conducted this month by Hampton University and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 46% support removal of Confederate statues and 42% oppose removal. The 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville that left a counterprotester dead had its origins in a city debate over whether to remove Confederate statues. On another topic, the poll found only about 1 in 4 Virginians support keeping schools in the state completely closed to in-person learning.
Prosecutor will probe Richmond mayorโs removal of Confederate statues
Read full article: Prosecutor will probe Richmond mayorโs removal of Confederate statuesA judge in Virginia has appointed a county prosecutor to investigate whether Richmondโs mayor broke any laws when his administration hired a company to remove the cityโs Confederate monuments. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Monday that Richmond Circuit Court Judge Joi Taylor has appointed Augusta Commonwealthโs Attorney Timothy Martin. The Levar Stoney administration originally authorized a $1.8 million contract with the company NAH LLC for the removal of Richmondโs Confederate monuments in July. Confederate statues have been coming down throughout the southern United States in the wake of protests against racism and police brutality. The demonstrations were sparked by the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis.
Charlottesville removes Confederate statue near rally site
Read full article: Charlottesville removes Confederate statue near rally siteCHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. โ A crowd cheered Saturday as workers in Charlottesville removed a Confederate statue near the site of a violent white nationalist rally three years ago. The removal of a bronze figure of a Confederate soldier known as โAt Readyโ is seen in Charlottesville as a milestone in eliminating divisive symbols of the Civil War. The process of removing the statue began Saturday morning as workers affixed straps to the 900-pound statute to prepare to remove it from its base. A crowd of about 100 people cheered behind metal barricades as the figure was lifted from its pedestal and lowered to the ground. The statue has been outside the Albermarle County courthouse for 111 years.
Albemarle County officials to move Confederate statue to battlefield
Read full article: Albemarle County officials to move Confederate statue to battlefieldCHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. โ Officials in a Virginia county say its Confederate soldier statue, cannons and cannonballs are being relocated to a battlefield in the Shenandoah Valley after they are removed on Saturday. The Daily Progress of Charlottesville reports the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday to give the items to the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, a historic-preservation group. The foundation was one of 10 applicants to receive the statue and its accessories, which the board had voted unanimously in August to remove. The statue currently sits in front of the county courthouse on Albemarle property that was never annexed by the city.
Virginia county votes to rename Jefferson Davis Highway
Read full article: Virginia county votes to rename Jefferson Davis HighwayA Virginia county has voted to change the name of a 12-mile section of highway that currently honors former Confederate President Jefferson Davis. WJLA-TV reports that the Prince William County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the change to the stretch of U.S. Route 1 on Wednesday. The highway runs the entire eastern length of the county outside of Washington and through other portions of the state. The vote allows the board to petition the Commonwealth Transportation Board in Richmond for a formal change. The county plans to rename it Richmond Highway, following moves by neighboring Arlington County and Alexandria.
Lexingtonโs Stonewall Jackson Cemetery officially renamed โOak Grove Cemeteryโ
Read full article: Lexingtonโs Stonewall Jackson Cemetery officially renamed โOak Grove CemeteryโLEXINGTON, Va. โ After weeks of conversation, the Lexington City Council voted Thursday night to change the name of a cemetery named after a Confederate general. Effective immediately, Stonewall Jackson Cemetery has been renamed Oak Grove Cemetery. โThat area of Lexington probably in the 1700s was a grove of Oak Grove,โ said Mayor Frank Friedman. Signage and other materials will soon change on the property. Mayor Friedman said city staff will begin that work immediately.
Police chief on leave after confederate statue charges
Read full article: Police chief on leave after confederate statue chargesPORTSMOUTH, Va. The police chief in Portsmouth, Virginia, is on paid leave nearly three weeks after her department charged a state senator and several others from the city's Black community with conspiring to a damage a Confederate monument. City spokeswoman Dana Woodson confirmed in an email on Friday that Chief Angela Greene is on leave and that an assistant police chief will assume her duties in the meantime. Allies of State Sen. Louise Lucas in Richmond have called the felony charges against her legally weak and political. The case is based on words that police say Lucas spoke in the hours before protesters ripped heads off Confederate statues and pulled one down, critically injuring a demonstrator. Greene became Portsmouth's police chief in 2019 after chief Tonya Chapman resigned.
Albemarle County Confederate statue to be removed Sept. 12
Read full article: Albemarle County Confederate statue to be removed Sept. 12CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. Another Confederate statue is slated for removal in Virginia. Removal work will be livestreamed on the countys Facebook page instead of allowing in-person observance because of the coronavirus pandemic. The county said it also will be airing interviews and lectures about the statue. The Board of Supervisors will hold a special virtual meeting next week to review statements of interest from those who want the statue. State law requires the board to offer the statue to organizations including a museum, historical society or battlefield.
Judge wont dismiss Lee statue lawsuit; case heads for trial
Read full article: Judge wont dismiss Lee statue lawsuit; case heads for trialRalph Northam's administration from removing an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee can proceed, a judge ruled Tuesday, clearing the way for a trial in the fall. Richmond Circuit Court Judge W. Reilly Marchant rejected much of the state's motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a group of property owners along the residential boulevard where the statue is situated. Herring has vowed to continue the fight in court as long as it takes to see that the statue is removed. Critics of the statues say they distastefully glorify people who fought to preserve slavery in the South. Four other prominent statues of Confederate leaders have been taken down from city property along the avenue this summer.