The Monument Avenue Commission has completed a yearlong
review and public engagement process examining the Confederate statuary of
Monument Avenue and submitted its report to Mayor Levar M. Stoney. As promised,
the full report submitted to the mayor is available to the public and can be
found on the website, monumentavenuecommission.org
The 117-page report, prepared by the 10-member Commission
appointed in June 2017, is a thorough review of history, recent events, public
engagement and research on the Confederate monuments that, as the Commission
report states, has “been a source of pride and shame for the City’s residents
since the time of their installations.” The report concludes with series of
options recommended for consideration by city officials that suggest ways given
the current legal climate in Virginia, “to determine how best to reconcile a
particular landscape viewed as both sacred and profane.”
“Given all we have heard, read and learned, the Commission
strongly endorses a comprehensive approach that creates an environment (and
City) that celebrates the contributions of many diverse groups and acknowledges
the darker chapters of the City’s past,” states the report, which was compiled
by Commission co-chairs Christy S. Coleman, CEO of the American Civil War
Museum, and Dr. Gregg D. Kimball, Director of Education and Outreach for the
Library of Virginia.
“In the course of the work, it became abundantly clear the
majority of the public acknowledges Monument Avenue cannot and should not
remain exactly as it is. Change is needed and desired. The public offered many
fascinating ideas, and the majority seemed to favor a multi-faceted approach.”
The Monument Avenue Commission does not have legal
authority and its report is not binding on city government. But the
commissioners recommend a number of options and opportunities for the
administration and city officials to explore for Monument Avenue. Among them:
- Adding permanent signage that
reflects the historic, biographical, artistic and changing meaning over
time for each monument, to be drafted by prominent academic historians
subject to approval by the Public Art or Planning Commissions.
- Creating a permanent exhibit
that takes a deeper historical look into the history of the monuments,
creating a mobile app and new film and video features that ensure the
narrative about Monument Avenue is “consistent and historically accurate.”
- Engage Richmond’s arts
community to create “new contemporary artistic works that bring new and
expanded meaning” to Monument Avenue.
- Commission a monument that
commemorates the resilience of the formerly enslaved, such as a work
dedicated to soldiers of the United States Colored Troops.
- Pending the outcome of current
litigation or changes in state law, remove the Jefferson Davis monument
and repurpose the site for a new monument. “Of all the statues, this one
is most unabashedly Lost Cause in its design and sentiment,” the
commissioners wrote.
“A holistic narrative acknowledges the emotional realities
the Monument Avenue statues represent as well as other assets within the City,”
the report states. “The options presented will require coordination between
various groups within City government (Planning Commission and the Public Arts
Commission) and – equally important – groups outside of it to implement the
recommendations. The Commission also acknowledges one of the options will
require a closer examination of existing law, outcomes of pending litigation
and legislative action.”
In addition to research on the history of Virginia’s
Monument Avenue, prevailing law and recent events, the report also includes
data gathered through public engagement.
“We’d like to thank Mayor Stoney for convening this
commission and for his faith in its members, and thank the residents of the
City of Richmond for engaging with us throughout this important process,”
Coleman and Kimball said in a joint statement. “It’s been an honor to serve.”
The convening of the commission, public engagement process
and extensive research to produce the report marked the first time in more than
50 years that the City of Richmond has conducted a comprehensive review of
Monument Avenue’s Confederate statues. During this process, the Commission
received more than 1,800 letters and emails and solicited feedback from more
than 1,200 people in public forums. Commission members, all volunteers, were
not compensated and spent their own time and money to participate in the work
of the Commission.
“On behalf of the City of Richmond, I want thank the
members of the Monument Avenue Commission their service, and for taking on this
responsibility at an important time in the life of our city and our nation,”
said Mayor Stoney. “We are deeply grateful for their dedication, hard work and
steadfastness to meeting the challenges of completing this task, which I
consider to be a necessary step toward moving the city forward on this
difficult issue and down a continued path of reconciliation and healing. I am
especially thankful to Commission co-chairs Christy Coleman and Dr. Gregg
Kimball for their countless hours and expertise in leading this distinguished
group of scholars, historians and local public officials to promote a civil,
civic conversation and expand our collective understanding of our history --
past, present and future.”
Mayor Stoney said he will take time to further study the
report and urged others to do the same.
“Richmond has a long, complex and conflicted history,
and the Confederate statues on Monument Avenue represents a shameful part of
our past,” Mayor Stoney said. “As I have said before, the statues on this
beautiful street are Lost Cause myth and deception masquerading as history.
They are monuments to Jim Crow that do not reflect the qualities of
inclusivity, tolerance and equality we celebrate as values in our city today.
The Commission’s report is unequivocal in its affirmation that there is an
overwhelming desire and belief they should not remain as they currently are.
Something needs to change, and I could not agree more.”
A public presentation of the report to City Council by
co-chairs Coleman and Kimball will be scheduled later this summer.
“This conversation will undoubtedly continue and I look
forward in the coming weeks to reviewing this report in depth and exploring its
recommendations with our administration, city council and various boards and
commissions to see how we can translate the good work that has been done into
concrete steps that move our city forward,” the Mayor said.
Key Narrative Excerpts from the Report:
“The statues on Monument Avenue have been a source of pride
and shame for the City’s residents from the time of their installations. As the
city has become more ethnically, politically and socioeconomically diverse,
tolerance for the monuments’ artistic and cultural meaning has shifted over
time. In essence it is a question of whether or not Monument Avenue reflects
the citizenry and its values. It is for these reasons the commission was formed
and tasked to determine how best to reconcile a particular landscape viewed as
both sacred and profane.”
*
“In the course of the work, it became abundantly clear the
majority of the public acknowledges Monument Avenue cannot and should not
remain exactly as it is. Change is needed and desired. The public offered many fascinating
ideas, and the majority seemed to favor a multi-faceted approach.”
*
“The sanitizing of textbooks in Virginia persisted well
into the late twentieth century. It should be no surprise, then that the
Commission heard such opinions in our listening sessions, despite several
generations of academic scholarship that have largely corrected the historical
record.”
*
“During the course of the meetings, it became abundantly
clear that there were a number of historical inaccuracies being repeated by the
public throughout the public meeting process about a number of topics related
to the monuments. The Commission drew on the collective historical knowledge
and collections of the Commonwealth’s preeminent state historical institutions,
resulting in the website “On Monument Avenue” (onmonumentave.com). Likewise, the
Commission drew on the collective research and publications of the scholarly
community and other documented studies of Confederate memorialization.”
*
“We hope that the history presented here and on the
Commission’s Website “On Monument Avenue” provides citizens with a common base
of knowledge for discussing Monument Avenue and other examples of Confederate
memorialization in the City of Richmond. The history also supports telling the
story of the avenue in a variety of styles of interpretation and creating a
robust dialog with the monuments. What the history cannot do is provide a
definitive answer to the question of whether the monuments are appropriate as a
representation of the city and its residents.”
The report also contains an Appendix that includes a number
of source documents that may be helpful, including:
- The Mayor’s initial remarks
establishing the commission (Appendix A)
- State laws governing
Confederate Memorials (Appendix B)
- City of Richmond Attorney Legal
Opinion on the Monuments (Appendix C)
- Data on Public Engagement
Key Dates:
June 22, 2017 – Mayor forms Monument
Avenue Commission. Appoints 10 members to engage the public, explore ways to
add context to existing Confederate statuary and suggest ideas for new
monuments.
August 9, 2018 –
First public meeting, attended by more than 500 people.
August, 16, 2017 –
After tragedy in Charlottesville, Mayor expands scope of Commission to consider
removal and/or relocation of monuments. Expresses his personal belief that the
Monuments should be removed and/or relocated.
September 16, 2017 –
Pro-Confederate Rally held in Richmond – Fewer than a half-dozen members of the
Tennessee-based group New Confederate States of America (CSA II) show up at the
Lee statue and are met by hundreds of counter protestors. Event results in no
injuries and a handful of arrests.
November 14, 2017 –
Monument Avenue Commission work session held.
January – May, 2018 –
Delegations of commissioners attend small group meetings requested by community
organizations.
May 10, May 19, 2018 –
Final two public meetings held by the MAC and evening public work session to
review findings from public engagement process and discuss elements of
Commission report.
July 2 –
Commission submits report to Mayor, following one-month extension to prepare
and write the report
