Charlottesville, VA, USA - July 14, 2017: A statue and monument
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Virginia Removes Iconic Gen. Robert E. Lee Statue from Capital City

After more than a century, one of the largest monuments to the Confederacy, a 21-foot-tall statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee that has towered on Monument Avenue in the capital city of Richmond has been removed.

Gen. Robert E. Lee last remaining icon to Confederacy

Since 1890, a 21-foot statue of an icon of the Confederacy, a visage immortalizing General Robert E. Lee riding upon horseback, has been perched atop a towering pedestal, high above Monument Avenue in the capital city of Richmond.

The statue has been one of the most visible landmarks in Richmond.

But in recent years, complaints have grown that such statues are icons of a past which only serves as a reminder of a national legacy of slavery and inequality. Lee’s statue is also a reminder that Richmond, Virginia was the capital of the Confederacy.

Crowds sing and cheer as Confederate statue removed

Last week, a pair of rulings from the state Supreme Court cleared the way to remove the statue of General Robert E. Lee

The push for the removal of the statue set off a nationwide debate. However, in the wake of the George Floyd killing, a nationwide reckoning has led to statues and busts of Confederate figures being removed in cities across America.

At 9 AM EDT, a giant crane hoisted the enormous 13-ton bronze statue of Lee off its pedestal, CNN reported.

Below, a crowd of hundreds erupted in cheers and song. People chanted the chorus of Stream’s 1969 hit: “Na, na, na, na. Hey, hey, hey, goodbye,” as well as “Black Lives Matter.”

Due to its size, in order to move the statue, work crews will have to cut it down into smaller pieces so that it will fit under highway overpasses, CBS reported. Following its removal, it will be stored at a state facility until officials find a permanent home for it.

Not happy news for all

Not everyone was happy, including one African-American woman born and raised in Richmond, NBC reported.

“It’s a good day, and it’s a sad day at the same time,” Sharon Jennings, 58, said. “It doesn’t matter what color you are, if you really like history, and you understand what this street has been your whole life and you’ve grown up this way, you’re thinking, ‘Oh, my God.’”

Others want to see the statue’s pedestal go to a museum to be preserved as an artifact from a historical monument.