Finally, the grotesque Confederate statue of Robert E. Lee that was removed from downtown Charlottesville in 2021 has been melted down. Now, its remnants will be used to create new public art.
The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center will spearhead the new art under the Swords Into Plowshares project. The site says it “celebrates turning tools of violence into ones of peace and community-building.”
The Executive Director of the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, Dr. Andrea Douglas, stated that seeing the Robert E. Lee statue destroyed “felt like that moment when you exhale.”
She also explained that “Racist symbols do not belong in our parks or in our city.” Lee’s statue was the impetus of 2017's lethal Unite the Right rally.
In 2021, the city made the decision to donate the bronze structure to the center. For a while, there was confusion about what to do with the symbol of hate.
Lawsuits to stop the project were unsuccessful and organizers went ahead and disassembled and melted the monument down.
“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,” Dr. Douglas explained.
“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,” she continued.
Dr. Douglas hopes that the new art will be finished, donated to the city, and installed by 2027 — exactly 10 years after the rally.
“We know that our work is just one more step forward toward a better future,” said Dr. Douglas.
The name of the project, Swords into Plowshares, was taken from a Bible verse in the book of Isaiah.