NextGen Virginia Statement on Confederate Statue Removal

RICHMOND, Va. — NextGen Virginia released the following statement today regarding Gov. Northam’s promise to remove Richmond’s statue of Robert E. Lee and welcomed statements members of the Richmond City Council have made in support of removing all Confederate monuments: 

 

“The targeted murder of Black people generally and the current violence against Black protesters who are literally fighting for their lives this week have cast a stark light on the urgency of racial justice in Virginia. As we demand justice for Black lives and stand in solidarity with the groups leading the calls for change, we appreciate the symbolic power of the Governor’s promise to remove Richmond’s most prominent Confederate statue. We also know tearing down a statue does little to moderate or ameliorate the deep racism that infects our institutions and results in the needless, state-sanctioned deaths of countless Black people.

 

But that stark contradiction isn’t new to us in Virginia. Our Commonwealth is one built on injustice — yet it is also one that throughout its history takes meaningful steps to root it out. Virginia hosts the former capital of the confederacy and stands as the landing place of the first slaves brought to America in 1619. Yet we also elected the first Black governor in 1990, and maintain a rich history of progressive black people actively improving our Commonwealth: from Maggie Walker becoming the first African-American woman to charter a bank and serve as its president, to Sister Rosetta Tharp forming the musical genre that would become rock & roll. Many rightfully question how we square today’s reality with the continued reminder of that contradictory past. Some will say the statues embody Virginia’s history, or that the horrors they represent are just the “Virginia way.” Well, it is not our Virginia way. 

 

Our Virginia way is a Commonwealth where everyone wants to live — and where we make the decision to put the past behind us and focus on improving the future. We are a Commonwealth that bends toward justice, and the removal of the statues is yet another step along the path to reconciling. But it is not complete until Black lives truly matter in Virginia. That’s why we stand with the organizations leading the charge to end the war on Black people, not just this week but also beyond the public-facing protests that must not tragically fade out of our societal consciousness without resolution. We will listen, support, and uplift — and we will once again mobilize the largest, most diverse voting bloc in American history this November to elect leaders that can bring about the change we so urgently need.”

 

About NextGen Virginia

Since 2008, Virginia has sent 13 electoral votes to the Democratic nominee for president. In 2020, NextGen Virginia will work to ensure Virginia stays blue, Senator Mark Warner earns another term in the Senate, and we defend Democrats in VA-02 and VA-07. In 2018, NextGen Virginia was proud to flip three  Congressional seats in Virginia from red to blue by knocking on over 99,000 doors, registering 24,788 voters, and sending over 826,000 texts to turn out young voters at a historic rate (41%) 21 points higher than the last midterm election. 

 

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