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Robert E. Lee Statue Removed From U.S. Capitol, Will Be Replaced by Civil Rights Activist Barbara Johns

The statue of the Confederacy’s top general had stood there since 1909.

U.S. Capitol staff removed a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on Monday. The statue of the Confederacy’s top general in its fight to maintain slavery had sat in the Capitol building’s Statuary Hall since 1909, one of Virginia’s two statues that every state gets to place there. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) requested that the statue be moved over the summer, according to The Washington Post. Lee’s statue will be replaced by one of Barbara Johns, a Black woman who as a 16-year-old led classmates on a walkout of her segregated school. “I look forward to seeing a trailblazing young woman of color represent Virginia in the U.S. Capitol, where visitors will learn about Barbara Johns’ contributions to America and be empowered to create positive change in their communities just like she did,” Northam said in a statement.