The Lee statue was erected in 1890, the first of six Confederate monuments — symbols of white power that dotted the main boulevard in Richmond, the former capital of the Confederacy. Richmond, too, removed some after the murder of George Floyd last year, in a sudden operation that took many by surprise. But the statue of Lee endured, mostly because of its complicated legal status. Its removal marked the end of the era of Confederate monuments in the city that is perhaps best known for them. It is marked by profound racial inequalities, the result of generations of discrimination, in which Black residents’ votes were diluted and Black homeowners could not get loans.

Source: bd News24 September 08, 2021 13:52 UTC