Contact: Randy Jones Department of Historic Resources 540-578-3031

—Commission to meet virtually on Friday, July 24, 2020 beginning at 9:30 a.m.—

RICHMOND – The Commission for Historical Statues in the United States Capitol will hold its second public meeting on Friday, July 24. The commission will convene virtually at 9:30 a.m., and expects the meeting to last several hours. The Virginia General Assembly created the Commission for Historical Statues in the United States Capitol during its last regular session and tasked it with studying removal and replacement of the Robert E. Lee statue in the Capitol’s National Statuary Hall Collection, where each state is entitled to have two statues. Virginia’s other statue is of George Washington. Among other topics on the agenda for the forthcoming meeting, the commission will elect a chair, vice chair, and discuss whether to recommend to the General Assembly the removal of the Lee statue from the U.S. Capitol. The meeting agenda, as well as instructions for how to register and to provide a public comment, are available on the Department of Historic Resources’ website at https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/uscapitolcommission/. Registration is required for all persons wishing to attend the online July 24 meeting, and an individual must register by no later than 12 noon on Thursday, July 23. Persons wishing to provide a public comment must also register by 12 noon July 23 as well. Though the meeting agenda includes time for verbal public comment, DHR encourages written comments, which must be submitted by noon July 23 to this email address: USCapitolCommission@dhr.virginia.gov. The Capitol commission consists of eight members. Governor Ralph Northam appointed Dr. Edward Ayres and Dr. Colita Fairfax to the commission. The Virginia Senate appointed Sen. Louise Lucas, and the House of Delegates selected Del. Jeion Ward as its representative. On July 1, during the commission’s first meeting, the four appointed members elected three citizen members: Dr. Fred Motley of Danville, Chief Anne Richardson of the Rappahannock Tribe and a resident of Indian Neck, and Margaret “Margi” Vanderhye of McLean. Julie Langan, Director of the Department of Historic Resources, serves as an ex-officio member. The Department of Historic Resources, the Commonwealth’s historic preservation agency, provides administrative support to the Commission for Historical Statues in the United States Capitol. Please direct questions to DHR concerning the commission, its purpose, and the upcoming meeting.