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Virginia Governor Seeks Bill Replacing Lee Statue in Capitol

Associated Press

   RICHMOND, VIRGINIA - Gov. Ralph Northam's office said Monday that he
   will push for legislation replacing Virginia's statue of Confederate
   Gen. Robert E. Lee housed in the United States Capitol.

   The governor filed a drafting request for a bill that would outline the
   process for removing the statue -- one of Virginia's two in the
   National Statuary Hall Collection -- and selecting a replacement,
   Northam spokeswoman Alena Yarmosky said. The disclosure from Northam's
   office came in response to questions about a letter from two Democratic
   members of Congress that called on Northam to make replacing the statue
   part of his agenda for the legislative session that begins next month.

   "As Virginians, we have a responsibility to not only learn from but
   also confront our history," U.S. Reps. Jennifer Wexton and A. Donald
   McEachin wrote in a letter released Monday. "As part of this
   responsibility, we must strive for a more complete telling of history
   by raising up the voices, stories, and memories of minorities and
   people of color."

   Yarmosky said Northam's office had previously discussed the issue with
   McEachin and Wexton's offices "and we look forward to continuing to
   work with them and all others who are committed to making Virginia
   open, inclusive, and equitable."

   She said additional details about the legislation would be announced
   later.

   The National Statuary Hall Collection consists of 100 statues, two each
   from all 50 states, that honor notable people in their history.
   Virginia's other statue is of George Washington.

   "Virginia's decision to donate the statue of Lee was a part of a
   national effort to rewrite the history of the South's secession and
   rehabilitate the image of Confederate leaders," said a press release
   from Wexton's office.

   Wexton and McEachin's letter mentioned a number of Virginians who
   "would better represent our Commonwealth in the U.S. Capitol,"
   including civil rights lawyer Oliver Hill and educator and orator
   Booker T. Washington.

   The two noted that other states have recently reconsidered their
   representation in the collection. Florida, for instance, recently
   replaced its statue of Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith with one of
   civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune.