Nearly 160 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, and two weeks after Virginia removed a statue to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, a new emancipation monument will be unveiled in Richmond today.
The two 12-foot bronze statues, depicting a woman with a baby and a man, honor the abolition of slavery. VPM will livestream the unveiling today starting at 10 a.m.
Planning by the Virginia Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Commission began in 2013, with a goal of commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. The monument was designed by Thomas Jay Warren and bear the names of 10 Black Virginians who fought for emancipation.
Those names include:
- Nat Turner, who rebelled against slavery;
- Mary Richards Bowser, who spied on the Confederacy during the Civil War;
- and John Mitchell Jr., editor of the Richmond Planet, who published a column against the Lee monument when it was installed.
WATCH: Robert E. Lee statue removed
The new monument will be installed on Brown’s Island, a public park on the James River that hosts concerts and events.