—Commission will meet virtually Wednesday, December 16 at 3 p.m.—

—To attend the meeting, a person must register online; to speak during the public hearing, a person must register online by no later than 5 p.m., December 15—

—For information about how to register, visit the Commission’s webpage—

The Commission for Historical Statues in the United States Capitol will hold its next public hearing on December 16, when the commission will convene virtually at 3:00 p.m., and announce a list of names proposed for replacing the Robert E. Lee statue in the Capitol. In order to attend or speak at the public hearing a person must register on the Webex platform the commission uses for its online meetings. During the public hearing, the commission will discuss a list of five names for a new statue. That short list derives from the names proposed by the public and posted as well to the DHR website’s webpage for the Capitol commission. Persons interested in attending the virtual public hearing must register at the following link: https://covaconf.webex.com/covaconf/onstage/g.php?MTID=ee3b8aa861eab2bf607df67e2b19e86ad. Each participant must register separately. After registering, a person receives an email message with a link or telephone number to enter the virtual meeting. Registration to attend the public hearing will remain open throughout the duration of the hearing. To speak during the December 16 hearing, each person must pre-register by no later than 5 p.m., on December 15. No one who registers to speak after that deadline will be recognized during the meeting. (Due to the technical capabilities of the software, remarks can only be taken from those logged in to the website through a computer or logged in to the app with an iPad or smartphone; remarks cannot be taken from those on a mobile or landline.) Attendees wishing to speak must indicate on the registration form that they would like to do so by answering “yes” to the question, “Do you wish to speak at this public hearing?” Each speaker’s remarks will be limited to three minutes; the Commission will hear from the first 30 attendees who register to speak. DHR will share written comments and suggestions received in advance of the meeting with the commission members. However, DHR must receive those written comments by 12 noon, December 15. DHR has already posted emails and letters with names submitted to the commission on the Capitol Commission webpage on the DHR website. The public can send comments to the commission by using the email address USCapitolCommission@dhr.virginia.gov or the USPS address: Capitol Commission, DHR, 2801 Kensington Avenue, Richmond, VA 23221. (Any communication received by the Commission or the Department or its members or staff is subject to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act § 2.2-3700 et seq.; therefore, please do not include any information, personal or otherwise, that you would not want shared with the public.) If you have any questions about registering for this virtual public hearing, please email Stephanie Williams at Stephanie.williams@dhr.virginia.gov. About the Commission 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, where each state is entitled to have two statues. Virginia’s other statue is of George Washington. 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. During the commission’s first meeting in July, 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.