confederate monuments
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Virginia Military Institute Removes Monument to White Supremacy
A Confederate statue on the campus of one of Virginia’s oldest institutions is finally being removed after Black students spoke out about a campus culture that literally and figuratively worshipped the graven image of white supremacy. Construction crews gathered at Virginia Military Institute on Monday to begin the process of removing the statue of Confederate…
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Felony Charges Against Virginia State Senator Dropped as the Police Chief Who Filed Them Is Fired
A long, strange saga in Virginia has come to an end as felony charges have been dropped against the state’s most senior Black legislator and the police chief responsible for filing them has been fired. According to NBC News, state Sen. Louise Lucas (D) and 18 other plaintiffs were charged in August by Portsmouth police…
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Virginia Judge Says Robert E. Lee Monument Can be Removed From Richmond Pending Appeal
2020 has been quite the year for a soldier of white supremacy who’s been dead for just over 150 years. It’s been nearly 5 months since Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam declared that “Richmond is no longer the capital of the Confederacy” and announced plans to remove the city’s iconic statue of Confederate General Robert E.…
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Not Saying America Is Racist or Anything, but Over 240 Schools Are Named After Confederate Leaders
Over the summer, cities and states scrambled to respond to the protests that erupted in the wake of George Floyd’s death from police violence. Among the many symbolic gestures was the renaming of schools named after Confederate leaders. According to CNN, the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) has found that over 240 schools are named after…
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Lake Charles Voted to Keep a Confederate Monument Up. Hurricane Laura Had Other Plans
Since 1915, a garish statue honoring Confederate soldiers stood tall on the grounds of Lake Charles’ courthouse. This year, as Black Lives Matter movements inspired people around the world to topple statues honoring racist historical figures, the town appeared to seriously consider taking the statue down, but ultimately voted to keep the statue up. The…
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Black Virginia Vice Mayor Facing Criminal Charges for Calling for the Firing of the Police Chief
The destruction of a Confederate monument in Portsmouth, Virginia, in June has caused so much tension that prominent politicians in the state are now being charged with crimes for their alleged involvement in the act. Earlier this month, The Root reported that Sen. Louise Lucas (D), the highest-ranking elected Black female official in Virginia, was…
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First Black Woman to Lead Virginia Senate Faces Felony Charges After Brutal Attack on Inanimate Object
I knew it would happen. For too long, white America has pleaded with officials to hold someone accountable for the disproportionate violence inflicted upon the unarmed victims of state-sponsored brutality. This is the culmination of years of Caucasian protest, activism and advocacy. White people have finally put their money where their mouths are. I predicted…