The Commission for Historical Statues in the United States Capitol is charged with determining whether the Robert E. Lee statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection at the United States Capitol should be replaced (which it did recommend) and to recommend to the General Assembly as a replacement a statue of a prominent Virginia citizen of historic renown or renowned for distinguished civil or military service to be commemorated in the National Statuary Hall Collection.
The Commission consists of eight members appointed as follows: one member of the House of Delegates appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates; one member of the Senate appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules; two non-legislative citizen members who are Virginia or American historians appointed by the Governor; three non-legislative citizen members appointed upon the vote of the Commission members appointed by the Speaker, the Senate Committee on Rules, and the Governor; and the Director of the Department of Historic Resources (DHR), who serves ex officio with nonvoting privileges. The Department of Historic Resources will provide staff support to the Commission.
The Commission will also be required to (i) select a sculptor for the new statue, with preference given to a sculptor from Virginia; (ii) estimate the costs associated with the replacement of the Robert E. Lee statue, including costs related to construction and placement of the new statue, for the removal and transfer of the Robert E. Lee statue, and for any unveiling ceremony of the new statue; and (iii) recommend to the General Assembly a suitable state, local, or private nonprofit history museum in the Commonwealth for placement of the Robert E. Lee statue.
The bill requires the Commission to hold at least one public hearing prior to making any recommendation to the General Assembly on a new statue and requires the costs of the Commission’s work to be borne by the Commission from such private funds as are collected by the Commission and general funds as are appropriated by the General Assembly.
Comments or questions about the Commission’s work can be submitted to USCapitolCommission@dhr.virginia.gov.
Due to the public health emergency caused by the coronavirus pandemic, meetings will be held virtually until further notice.
Click here to register to attend the virtual meeting. Each participant must register separately. Once you register, you will receive an email with a link and telephone number.
PUBLIC COMMENT: REGISTRATION REQUIRED BY 5 P.M. MARCH 2, 2021
In order to officially register to give public comment, you must indicate on the registration form that you would like to speak during the public comment portion of the meeting. Public comment is limited to 3 minutes per speaker and 90 minutes in total; the Commission will hear from the first 30 attendees to register. Registration for public comment must be completed by 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 2, 2021 and is on a first-come, first-serve basis. (Due to technical capabilities with the software, public comment can only be taken from those logged in to the website through a computer or logged in to the app with an ipad or smartphone; public comment cannot be taken from those on a mobile or land line.) Anyone who registers for public comment after this deadline will not be called on during the public comment portion of the meeting.
Written comments are also accepted as official public comment; all written comments will be shared in full with Commission members prior to the meeting and will be summarized during the public comment portion of the meeting. All written public comment will also be posted in full to the Commission website. If you would like to submit written public comment, please email your comments to USCapitolCommission@dhr.virginia.gov by Noon Tuesday, March 2, 2021. (Any communication received by the Commission or the Department or its members or staff is subject to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act § 2.2-3700 et seq.; therefore, please do not include any information, personal or otherwise, that you would not want shared with the public.)
If you have any questions about registering for this virtual meeting, please email Stephanie Williams at Stephanie.williams@dhr.virginia.gov.
The Commission convened on Dec. 16 and approved a motion to recommend a statue of Barbara Rose Johns for the U.S. Capitol. View a screen video recording of the virtual meeting. Password: 3CrRFUJE
Emails Posted After December 16 meeting:
Public Comments Submitted in Advance of Nov. 17 Meeting:
Public Comments Submitted After Nov. 17 Meeting:
Article and Op-Ed of Note from the Richmond Times-Dispatch:
From Dave Grohl to Edna Lewis, Virginians suggest replacements for Lee statue at U.S. Capitol (Nov. 25)
Williams: Barbara Johns deserves a statue in the U.S. Capitol. (Nov. 27)
October 8:
Public Documents Submitted in Advance of October 8 Meeting:
August 7:
During the August 7 meeting, the Commission recommended asking the Virginia Museum of History and Culture (VMHC) to accept the R. E. Lee statue for its collections.
July 24:
See “Links”below for more information.
*NOTE: Minutes posted shortly after each meeting are not official (as indicated by the word “DRAFT” at the top of the first page). Official minutes will not be posted until they are approved by the Commission at the next meeting. Once approved by the Commission, the draft minutes will be removed from the website and the official minutes will be posted (as indicated by the removal of the word “DRAFT”).
Updated February 23, 2021
