As announced on Jan. 4 by Virginia’s Commission for Historical Statues, a statue of teenage activist Barbara Rose Johns will replace a monument of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in the US Capitol next year.
Johns became a prominent civil rights activist in 1951, when she helped lead a student strike for equal education in her Virginia high school at the age of 16.
With support from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the students at her high school worked to file the Davis v. Prince Edward County case, which challenged segregation in Prince Edward County, Virginia. The case was later merged into the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling that overturned segregation in schools.
Regarding the decision to replace Robert E. Lee, former Virginia Governor Ralph Northam shared, “The Confederacy is a symbol of Virginia’s racist and divisive history, and it is past time we tell our story with images of perseverance, diversity and inclusion.”
Maryland sculptor Steven Weitzman will create the commemorative statue of Johns. His design depicts Johns standing beside a lectern on a school stage above spines of books by Black authors.
“This brave young woman has not been celebrated in the great halls of America until now,” Weitzman stated.
Seven Upper School students offered mixed opinions on the replacement of controversial statues. The Paw Print asked the student respondents how they would define “controversial figures,” to which many of them replied with similar answers: Confederate generals, such as Robert E. Lee, as well as other formative figures in American history whose ideals may not align with our contemporary morals.
“We as a country should acknowledge our history but should make sure to distinguish the figure’s accomplishments from their personal ideals,” said freshman Taylor Yong. She suggested adding to the artwork displays instead of replacing them.
Other Poly students felt that such artwork should be replaced or moved in order to foster societal progress.
Freshman Matteo Mazzie stated that we should preserve the history of our nation but relocate controversial artwork from the US Capitol to museums.
Freshman Lennon Standridge, a member of the Black Student Union, advocated for the complete removal of every potentially controversial figure. Since the term “controversial” is subjective, The Paw Print asked him to give an example of a controversial person, to which he replied, “Robert E. Lee.”
“While it’s important to acknowledge the people who signed the Declaration of Independence, it’s even more important to celebrate the people who embody it,” Standridge shared.
One sophomore added to Standridge’s point, stating, “I believe the majority, if not all, of the statues were built to commemorate slavery or the Civil War. In that case, those statues should be taken down. While artists did put work into the statues, supporting the artist’s work does not hold as high a significance as the weight of celebrating those monuments.”
Juniors Chloe Palmer and Grace Salembier and senior Nyla Cross agreed with him on this point.
Cross, co-leader of the Black Student Union, said, “We should honor and acknowledge history with the figures that helped shape it but prioritize celebrating more uplifting figures.”
