The Symbol of Robert E. Lee

A statue commemorating the man that led the Confederate army against the United States still stands today in Market Street Park in Charlottesville, VA. While this twenty-six-foot-tall bronze statue would typically be lost on a long list of confederate memorials under consideration for removal, this monument holds particular significance. Not only is this statue a symbol of oppression and power to white nationalist, but it is the site of riots and violence as well. So why is the statue still standing? It is all thanks to a local Charlottesville group called The Monument Fund.

For those whose memories are a little foggy, the statue was the gathering point for the Unite the Right Rally on August 12th, 2017. That day, white nationalists clashed with counter protestors, instigated fights, and a series of terrible events would follow. After the smoke had cleared, the day ended with death of two state troopers, one counter protester who was murdered by a white supremacist, and thirty other people injured from related confrontations.

This was due to the fact that the city voted to begin the process of removing Confederate statues in February 2017. This was in response to the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church shootings in Charleston, SC, which occurred two years earlier. Despite the link to white supremacist groups and the violence they inflicted, Charlottesville locals did not want the removal of monuments to their heritage. One year earlier, as the calls for the removal of Confederate symbols spread, The Monument Fund was founded – and when the winds of change came to Charlottesville, they were prepared. Regarding the statues, the group’s website states the following:

“They commemorate the most important event in the history of the United States since its Founding, and (detractors say) remind also of the Jim Crow era in which they were erected. What better way to teach about slavery than to ask what if Lee had won? How better to address the dissimulation of the Lost Cause? But if we remove the monuments, we are trying to hide our own history, destroying irreplaceable historical evidence, works of art, and for what? What do we gain? An empty lawn teaches nothing.”

Yes – hence why no one has heard of Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, Mao, Nero, or Ramses II – because we just do not have enough statues of them in American parks. Despite the public outcry, The Monument Fund was able to issue an injunction on account of a state law that prevented local authorities from disturbing Civil War monuments. Which is why, despite the symbolism, violence, and bloodshed, the statue has remained in Market Street Park.

Fortunately, there has been some progress since then. Earlier this year, the Virginia General Assembly passed a bill that would allow municipalities to “remove, relocate, contextualize, cover, or alter” Confederate war memorials in public spaces. The law will take effect starting July 1st, 2020. In anticipation of prolonged court battles, The Monument Fund requested the language in the injunction be adapted to reflect the new law. This paves the way for the eventual removal of the statue from the Park. By no coincidence, The Monument Fund also mentioned in a recent hearing that should the city offer to relocate the statue, they had a “generous donor” who would be interested in obtaining it. They did not elaborate any further.