A Black heritage center in Charlottesville, Virginia, wants to melt down the city’s recently removed statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee so that it can be repurposed into public art.
The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center (JSAAHC) submitted a proposal to the city on Friday to take ownership of the statue, which was the focal point of a deadly white supremacist rally in 2017. The city removed the statue from a public park earlier this year.
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The JSAAHC wishes to disassemble the statue of Lee — who during the Civil War led the Confederate Army’s losing campaign to preserve the institution of slavery — so that it can be taken to a foundry, melted down, and then given to an artist-in-residence, according to a statement released Monday.
The artist, after receiving input from the descendants of enslaved persons, would then turn the statue’s bronze material into a new piece of art that would be offered to the city of Charlottesville for public display.
The proposal is “Charlottesville’s opportunity to lead by creating a road map that can be followed by other communities that wish to impact history,” JSAAHC Executive Director Dr. Andrea Douglas said in a statement. “It’s our hope that our entire community will embrace this defining moment.”
Source: Black Heritage Center Submits Proposal To Melt Charlottesville’s Robert E. Lee Statue
