CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WCAV) — The controversial Confederate statue of Robert E. Lee that was removed from downtown Charlottesville two years ago has now been destroyed.
It's been melted down to create another public piece of art by the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center under the Swords Into Plowshares project. According to the project's website, the name was taken from a bible verse in the Book of Isaiah.
The website says it, "celebrates turning tools of violence into ones of peace and community-building." Those spearheading the initiative say the melting of the statue is needed for a better future for all.
Dr. Andrea Douglas, the Executive Director of the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, said watching the Robert E. Lee statue melt "felt like that moment when you exhale."
"Racist symbols do not belong in our parks or in our city," she said.
The Lee statue was the catalyst of the deadly 2017 Unite the Right rally.
In 2021, the city donated the bronze statue to the center. After several back and forths with groups opposed to the destruction of the statue portraying the Confederate general, the final lawsuit was dismissed. It now has a new fate.
"The next phase is to form a jury and solicit artists' proposals with the goal of announcing a finalist in 2024 — the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the Lee statue," said Dr. Douglas.
Douglas says she hopes the new art piece will be completed, donated to the city, and installed by 2027 — 10 years after the rally.
"Our efforts have been not to remove history, but bear witness to our truths about our racist pasts and our aspirations for a more equitable future," said Dr. Douglas.
Douglas says taking the old statue and turning it into new artwork symbolizes a more equitable future.
"We know that our work is just one more step forward toward a better future," said Dr. Douglas.
The Swords Into Plowshares project is supported by a broad coalition of Charlottesville community groups. That includes two dozen local arts, advocacy, educational, and religious organizations.
