E Pluribus Unum Founder Mitch Landrieu Issues Statement on Richmond’s Robert E. Lee Monument Removal
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 8, 2021
Contact: Kristal Swim, 606-356-5018, kristal@unumfund.org
NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 8, 2021 —Today, former New Orleans Mayor and E Pluribus Unum (EPU) Founder and President Mitch Landrieu released the following statement upon the removal of the Robert E. Lee monument in Richmond, Virginia:
“Removing Confederate monuments such as the Robert E Lee Monument in Richmond is another step toward correcting our history. These statues are not just stone and metal. They are not innocent remembrances of a benign history. These Lost Cause monuments purposefully celebrate a fictional, sanitized Confederacy, ignoring the death, enslavement, and terror that it actually represented. The Confederacy was on the wrong side of history and humanity. It sought to tear apart our nation and subjugate our fellow Americans to slavery. This is the history we should never forget and one that we should never again put on a pedestal to be revered.
“Symbols matter and should reflect who we are as a people. These monuments do not now, nor have they ever reflected the history, the strength, the richness, the diversity of the South or our country. The courts have affirmed local governments’ ability to remove these statues and more should follow. But as I stated following the removal of monuments in New Orleans, if we take these statues down and don’t change to become a more open and inclusive society this would have all been in vain. That’s why we are focused on correcting these false narratives, supporting courageous leaders who are committed to racial equity, and transforming public policy to address systemic racism and economic inequality. We invite leaders across the South to join us.”
###
About E Pluribus Unum
Founded by former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu in 2018, E Pluribus Unum (EPU) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to build a more just, equitable, and inclusive South, uprooting the barriers that have long divided the region by race and class. Incubated at Emerson Collective, EPU is focused on changing the divisive narratives that perpetuate systemic and interpersonal racism, cultivating and empowering courageous leaders who are advancing racial equity, and championing transformative policy change. To learn more, visit www.unumfund.org.