On behalf of the NAACP Virginia State Conference, we respectfully urge you to support SB 636. This legislation directs the Department of General Services to remove Confederate monuments and memorials from Capitol Square and store them until the General Assembly determines their final disposition. For our organization and the communities we represent across the Commonwealth, this issue is not abstract. It is about whether Virginia’s most visible seat of government reflects the constitutional principles of equality, justice, and inclusion. Capitol Square is a place of civic honor. It communicates the values of the Commonwealth to residents, schoolchildren, advocates, and visitors alike. The continued presence of Confederate monuments on state grounds elevates a legacy rooted in the defense of slavery and racial hierarchy. That symbolism stands in direct tension with Virginia’s stated commitment to equal protection under the law and to the dignity of all its residents. Supporting SB 636 is not about erasing history. History remains in our archives, scholarship, and public record. This bill simply addresses what the Commonwealth chooses to commemorate in a place of state-sanctioned recognition. Public monuments are policy decisions. They reflect contemporary values as much as historical events. The NAACP Virginia State Conference believes that our public spaces should affirm the full humanity and citizenship of all Virginians. Removing Confederate monuments from Capitol Square is a necessary step toward ensuring that our civic landscape aligns with that principle. We respectfully ask that you vote in favor of SB 636. Thank you for your time and consideration.

There is no need to spend two million in taxpayer dollars as currently budgeted to move these statues. Their are historic organizations that would be happy to take them for free and place them in appropriate ballfields and/or museums. I know that the Shenandoah Valley Battlefield Foundation who owns several battlefields and many artifacts would take them and could assure that theses historic statues and any others or artifacts in possession of the Commonwealth are displayed in their proper historical context on a battlefield or in museum. Please save the taxpayers two million dollars that could be used in schools or for many other worthwhile causes.