Rockbridge County town looking to acquire Charlottesvilleโs Confederate statues
At 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.
Stripped of state holiday status, Lee-Jackson Day activities continue in Lexington
LEXINGTON, Va โ For the first time in more than 100 years, the Commonwealth of Virginia did not observe Lee-Jackson Day. Despite it no longer being a state holiday, the Virginia Flaggers and the Stonewall Brigade of the Sons of Confederate Veterans still gathered in Lexington to celebrate the day. Virginia Military Institute removed its Stonewall Jackson statue and the cemetery formerly named for the Confederate general is now named Oak Grove. Friedman said itโs important that his community continue to have hard discussions about what will be best for the city moving forward. The same groups are expected to gather at the Stonewall Jackson statue on Saturday morning followed by a parade along Main Street.
Virginia Military Institute starts relocation process of Stonewall Jackson Statue
The 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.
Cadets, alumni, parents have mixed reactions to VMIโs removal of Confederate monument
LEXINGTON, 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.
VMI Board of Visitors votes to move schoolโs Stonewall Jackson statue
LEXINGTON, 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.
Black contractor braves threats in removing Richmond statues
As recently as a few years ago, the removal of Richmondโs collection of Confederate monuments seemed nearly impossible, even as other tributes to rebel leaders around the U.S. started falling. Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney and the city council committed to removing the statues, something the Democrat-led General Assembly had authorized earlier in the year. Henry said the cityโs Department of Public Works asked him in mid-June if he would be interested in the statue project. Stuartโs statue, Henry mused about his participation in two very different projects reflecting this moment in the story of race and America. And he helped remove the Richmond statues, which he called tools of oppression against Black Americans.
Lexingtonโs Stonewall Jackson Cemetery officially renamed โOak Grove Cemeteryโ
LEXINGTON, 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.
Across South, a push to change Confederate school names
Multiple school systems in Alabama, Texas and Virginia have voted to change school names in recent months, but local resistance and state laws make that no simple task. The Montgomery County School Board voted in July to change the names of the three schools, but a 2017 state law protects Confederate monuments and other long-standing memorials and names. In Virginia, the removal of Confederate names began in the states northern region in 2018, when J.E.B. Washington-Lee High School in Arlington changed its name to Washington-Liberty at the start of the 2019-2020 academic year. In Hanover County, a conservative jurisdiction outside Richmond, the school board narrowly voted to change the name of Lee-Davis High.
Lexington city council picks โOak Groveโ as new name for Stonewall Jackson Cemetery
LEXINGTON, Va โ Lexington city leaders have made a final decision on the new name for Stonewall Jackson Cemetery. Thursday night city council choose Oak Grove to be written into an ordinance that the city council will vote on to make it law. Jackson was buried there in 1863, but it was not named after him right away. On April 1, 1949, the cemetery was conveyed to the city by the Lexington Presbyterian Church, according to City Manager Jim Halasz. Council is set to vote on the ordinance at its September 3rd meeting.
Petition filed to stop renaming of Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery in Lexington
LEXINGTON, Va. โ A petition was filed Thursday in an effort to stop the renaming of Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery in Lexington. Here are the final four options: Unity Cemetery of Lexington, Oak Grove Cemetery of Lexington, Main Street Cemetery of Lexington and Lexington Memorial Cemetery. The attached comments and petition are hereby officially submitted for the City Council & City Attorney to review, accept and acknowledge. To date: 8/6/2020 we have 5,411 individuals who oppose the renaming of the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery. It is also being sought out that Stonewall Jackson is federally protected because Stonewall is a veteran and is protected by the Veterans Administration.
A progressive city with Confederate roots: Lexingtonโs unique path to racial equality
Fighting to preserve that history while creating equality, perhaps no other city in Virginia embodies the commonwealthโs identity struggle like Lexington, a liberal community with deep Confederate roots. โI think certainly in the past the Confederate history of this region has been much more prevalent. As we have progressed, I donโt see as many people coming for the Confederate history,โ Friedman said. Robert E. Lee is crediting with saving Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) after his surrender to the Union. He said there is a great interest from people wanting to learn about these sites and community history.
VMI will not remove Confederate statues or rename buildings
LEXINGTON, Va. โ Rather than remove its past, VMI plans to focus on its future. Bindford Peay III, announced the decision to neither remove Confederate statues nor rename any buildings as part of a seven-page letter. Peay said that VMI, which has been around for nearly 200 years, will emphasize the Instituteโs second century. We do not currently intend to remove any VMI statues or rename any VMI buildings. Education VMI Corps of Cadets Promote Increased Commissioning VMI Symbology AlumniPeay said that these pillars will be integrated into VMIโs Strategic Vision 2039.
Lexington City Council unanimously agrees to rename Stonewall Jackson Cemetery
During a Thursday night meeting, the Lexington City Council voted unanimously, 6-0, to change the name of Stonewall Jackson Cemetery. I suppose theyโll rename it something like โLexington Cemetery: Now with Surprise Inside!' On April 1, 1949, the cemetery was conveyed to the city by the Lexington Presbyterian Church, according to City Manager Jim Halasz. On May 5 of that year, the council approved an ordinance accepting the conveyance, trust and naming the cemetery as the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery. The city council, which met until 1:30 a.m. Friday said it will now take online input from city residents for possible new names.
Richmond removes its second Confederate statue in as many days
RICHMOND, Va. Work crews removed a second Confederate statue in Richmond on Thursday, a monument to Navy officer Matthew Fontaine Maury. The Maury statue, unveiled in 1929, depicts Maury seated in a chair with a large globe above him. It was the last of five Confederate monuments erected on Richmond's famed Monument AvenueMaury headed the coast, harbor and river defenses for the Confederate Navy. Richmond - the formal capital of the Confederacy - has about a dozen Confederate statues. Protesters tore down a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis last month.
Option to remove Confederate monuments presents complex challenges in Lexington
LEXINGTON, Va. โ The question of whether Confederate monuments should stay or go is on the mind of leaders and the communities across Southwest Virginia. Robert E. Lee is buried in Lexington under Lee Chapel on Washington and Leeโs campus. Stonewall Jackson is also buried in Lexington, at the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery. โThis is not something that invites Unity, invites participation, invites equality. Like, โWhy is the Stonewall Jackson cemetery called the Stonewall Jackson cemetery?โ It originated with the Lexington Presbyterian Church and they essentially gave it to the city," explained Freidman.