Public speaks on Confederacy monument

by Larry Chowning – 

During the public comment segment of the Sept. 7 Middlesex County Board of Supervisors meeting, several people spoke in favor of and against the removal of the 1910 Daughters of the Confederacy monument on the front lawn of the Middlesex County Historic Courthouse.

In July, supervisors voted 3-2 at the request of Dawn Moore, president of the local NAACP chapter, to remove the statue. The board voted 3-2 in August to have a non-binding voter referendum on the issue on the ballot in the Nov. 2 general election.     

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Rebecca Major Robbins of Yorktown, a Stormont property owner, said through her research she had identified 118 Middlesex County Confederate soldiers who fought for 55th Virginia infantry and 24th Virginia Calvary.

She said the statue was symbolic of all those who gave their lives in the Civil War. She said that soldiers in the war were “all Americans.”

Steve Mathews of Locust Hill said he has descendants who fought for the South but wants the statue removed. The statue is symbolic of protecting a way of life “rooted in slavery.”

Lauren Wood said that she went through the Middlesex County Public School system and spent a lot of time learning a “whitewashed” Civil War history.

Monica Saunders of Topping said, “History is history and it is not going away by removing the statue.” Saunders said she agreed with Supervisor Wayne Jessie who she says said, “If you do not like it (statue), don’t look at it.”

Bridgett Weinberg Soucek of Saluda said she was disappointed in Jessie’s remarks. She said everyone who is “offended by the statue should not have to make that decision.

Middlesex County voters will have an opportunity to voice their opinions at the polls on Nov. 2. The referendum, however, is non-binding. Supervisors can still vote to remove or not remove the monument.