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Governor moves ahead with plans to remove Lee statue

Gov. Ralph Northam announced plans last Thursday to remove the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue in Richmond.

The governor directed the state Department of General Services to remove the statue from its pedestal and house it in storage until an appropriate location is determined.

Unlike other statues along Monument Avenue, which are owned by the City of Richmond, the Lee statue is owned by Virginia, said Northam. Because the statue is a work of art, he said, the governor has sole authority to approve its removal.

“I’m no historian, but I strongly believe that we have to confront where we’ve been, in order to shape where we’re going,” Northam said. Symbols matter, the governor said, and Virginia has more Confederate commemorations than any other state. General Lee himself didn’t want a monument, said Northam, and quoted the general, who said, “I think it is wiser not to keep open the sores of war, but to follow the examples of those nations who endeav...

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