| The Riverfront was finally ready for the
public this week after ten years
of planning and two years of construction.
This has been a long anticipated event
for revitalizing the downtown Richmond, Virginia area.
It
should be a good promotion to the area.
However, it was marred by one man in city
council who protested the inclusion of Confederate
General Robert E. Lee in the historic
riverfront walkway. Perhaps some don't realize that whether
they like it or not, one of the reason that tourists come
to this state and to Richmond, Virginia, is because it was
the capital of the Confederate States. The civil war buffs
want to see the General. Taking this picture down and
refusing to put it back up, is actually harming the city
much more than it is helping.
I have included pictures that I took, June 5, 1999, as my husband and I walked in the district to enjoy the sites and sounds. Included are pictures of members of the Virginia Sons of Confederate Veterans who stood upon the wall and waved the Confederate flag and had pictures of General Robert E. Lee. I spoke to Owen Sanders who expressed his concern over the removal. Apparently there are many supporters of this viewpoint. They were passing out orange stickers that read: WHERE IS GENERAL LEE? As I walked along, I noticed that many people were wearing the orange stickers. General Robert E. Lee is a part of history. It's as though they wish to have history rewritten. The strange thing is that War is depicted with the Confederate Evacuation as part of the history of Richmond. General Lee is a part of that history, also. His portrait should be put upon the floodwall gallery near the Canal Walk.
This is a footnote of sorts to this page. After much controversy, the Richmond city decided to have Robert E. Lee put back up on the wall. It will be in a pose that was taken after the civil war and not in a uniform. It went up in November of 1999 but then was burned. Another has been put back up - again. Sat, 25 Mar 2000 |
