Activists hail Lee statue removal, say more work remains

By SARAH RANKIN and DENISE LAVOIE
Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — When an enormous statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee was hoisted off a pedestal in the former capital of the Confederacy and carted off to storage, many civil rights activists saw it as a step toward a more inclusive Virginia, if only a symbolic one. In interviews, activists across generations celebrated the development but said work remains to both address systemic societal inequities and to tell a more complete story of Richmond’s history in its public spaces. The statue had towered over Richmond since its dedication in 1890. Many saw it as an offensive glorification of efforts to preserve slavery. Others argued its removal amounted to erasing history.