A statue commemorating Confederate soldiers was removed from the center of Alexandria, Virginia, one month ahead of schedule because of the protests raging throughout the country.
The confederate soldier statue, dubbed “Appomattox,” was set to be removed by its owners, the United Daughters of the Confederacy, as early as July 1, but the group decided to pull the statue down on Tuesday morning following several nights of protests in neighboring Washington, D.C.
Alexandria, like all great cities, is constantly changing and evolving. pic.twitter.com/CZTjlOkpfT
— Justin Wilson (@justindotnet) June 2, 2020
Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson said the group decided to remove the statue early to prevent it from being vandalized as many other confederate memorials have been targeted in the protests in Richmond, Virginia. The city had been advocating for its removal for years and had recently written a letter to Gov. Ralph Northam, who signed a bill in April allowing localities to remove or contextualize Confederate statues starting on July 1.
Wilson noted that the city had taken many steps to honor the history of its black residents as a counter to having the Confederate statue at the heart of the city for decades.
“Part of the reaction to this statue has been about the way we told history in this city,” Wilson told the Washington Post. “We’ve tried really hard in the past few years to tell both sides, with the acquisition of the Freedom House, the Black History Museum, the Edmondson Sisters statue, and others. For a portion of our population, this statue was a symbol of an entire subjugation of a people. We still have a lot of work to do to ensure all of Alexandria’s history is told.”
The decision to remove or modify Confederate statues throughout the South has been a point of contention between activists and local leaders. Those who support the removal of Confederate monuments see them as an ode to slavery, while those who oppose their removal believe they are monuments to history and Southern heritage.
It is not yet clear where the United Daughters of the Confederacy plans to relocate the Appomattox statue.
Protests have taken place throughout the country following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Floyd died after being arrested by a Minneapolis officer, who held him down by kneeling on his neck for several minutes.
