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Robert E. Lee statue respectfully removed from the U.S. Capitol

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Jack Mayer-AP

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The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, is being replaced in the U.S. Capitol by civil rights leader Barbara Johns. Johns was just a teen when she stood up for her first segregation battle. In 1951 at the age of 16 she led a student strike with 450 students supporting equal education at R.R. Moton highschool in Farmville, Prince Edward County Virginia.

The removal of the statue was conducted by staff from the ‘Architect of the Capitol’ and attended by members of Virginia’s congressional delegation including Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia), Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Virginia.), a representative from the office of Rep. Donald McEachin (D-Virginia.)  In a joint statement, McEachin and Wexton said the removal of Lee’s statue was a “historic and long-overdue moment for our common wealth.” Back in April, Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia signed legislation directing the creation of a commission to study the removal and replacement of the statue. The commission’s eight members voted on July 24 to recommend the removal of the Lee statue, which will be turned over to the Virginia Museum of History & Culture in Richmond. Barbara is joining Rosa Parks as a black figure in the U.S. Capital. States are allotted only two statutes to display in the U.S. capital, Barbara Johns and George Washington will represent Virginia, these two figures represent important times in United States history.

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