Charlottesville's Robert E. Lee statue to be melted down into new public artwork
Fox News
The statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that drew violent protests to Charlottesville, Virginia, will be melted down and turned into a new piece of public art by an African American heritage center.
The Lee statue and another of Confederate Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson were removed on the same day in July. The city received six proposals from entities interested in taking one of both of them, according to the newspaper.
Council members voted to donate the Lee statue to the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center, whose "Swords Into Plowshares" proposal received almost 30 letters of support from organizations and individuals, including the Descendants of Enslaved Communities at the University of Virginia and descendants of Monticello’s enslaved community.