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Charlottesville Commission Reports on City Statues

For months, a debate has raged in Charlottesville over two controversial, historical statues and what they represent.  WMRA's Jordy Yager has the latest.

More than 150 people packed into a Charlottesville elementary school Thursday evening to discuss the fate of two statues. One is of Robert E. Lee, the other Stonewall Jackson. Both are larger than life and in parks near the center of the city.

Five months ago, City Council created the Blue Ribbon Commission on Race, Memorials, and Public Spaces. The 9-person commission was tasked with developing options for telling the full story of Charlottesville’s history of race, as seen through public spaces.

And last week, after months of public meetings and idea gathering sessions, the commission released a draft copy of its recommendations. Among them was a 6 to 3 vote to keep both statues in place. The commission also voted unanimously to change the names of both parks.

But at Thursday’s public forum, the bulk of attendees asked the commission to reconsider removing the statues before delivering their final recommendations to Council next month.

Lisa Woolfork is an Associate Professor of English at the University of Virginia.

LISA WOOLFORK: It forces those who stand at its base to look up. I do not want to look up at that concrete edifice of white supremacy. I do not want my children to stand at its base and look up to it.

About 60 people spoke on Thursday. While most pressed for the removal of the statues, several were in favor of keeping them in place, saying they were an inescapable part of history.

The commission’s next meeting is at 6 p.m. November 28th at City Space downtown.

Jordy Yager was a freelance reporter for WMRA from 2015 - 2019.