Virginia lawmakers vote to remove statue of segregationist A panel of Virginia lawmakers have advanced a bill to remove a statue of Harry FRICHMOND, Va. -- A panel of Virginia legislators advanced a bill Friday to remove a statue of Harry F. Byrd Sr., a staunch segregationist, from the state Capitol grounds. The decision came amid a yearslong effort in history-rich Virginia to rethink who is honored in the state's public spaces. The bill moved out of the House committee on a party-line vote of 13-5, with all Republicans voting against it. Lawmakers evicted a Confederate statue and busts from inside the Capitol in July, and the city of Richmond removed some of the state's most prominent Confederate monuments from its public spaces. In an unusual twist, a similar measure to remove the Byrd statue was filed last year by a freshman Republican lawmaker.

Source: ABC News January 22, 2021 16:31 UTC