A time capsule that was discovered beneath the now-removed statue of Robert E. Lee is set to be replaced with a time capsule that showcases modern political items.
The statue of confederate general Robert E. Lee, which has stood for over 130 years in Richmond, Virginia, was taken down Wednesday.
“This monument and its time capsule reflected Virginia in 1890 — and it’s time to remove both, so that our public spaces better reflect who we are as a people in 2021. The past 18 months have seen historic change, from the pandemic to protests for racial justice that led to the removal of these monuments to a lost cause. It is fitting that we replace the old time capsule with a new one that tells that story,” Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam said in a statement.
BREAKING: Robert E. Lee statue, erected in 1890, removed from its pedestal on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia. pic.twitter.com/RGRZQXDA9n
— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 8, 2021
The modern time capsule is reportedly going to contain a plethora of new items, including a Black Lives Matter sticker, an LGBT pride pin, a CDC vaccination card, prayer beads, poems about the pandemic, an election officer’s badge, and a photo of the Virginia police on Jan. 6, 2021. (RELATED: ‘Our Culture Is Being Destroyed’: Trump Blasts The Removal Of The Robert E. Lee Statue)
The new time capsule is also going to have a list of the original time capsule’s contents as soon as it is recovered.
Northam had originally called for the removal of the statue following the death of George Floyd. Northam stated that Virginians could “no longer honor a system that was based on the buying and selling of enslaved people.”
“Yes, that statue has been there for a long time. But it was wrong then, and it is wrong now. So we’re taking it down,” Northam said. “I believe in a Virginia that studies its past in an honest way. I believe that when we learn more, we can do more. And I believe that when we learn more — when we take that honest look at our past — we must do more than just talk about the future.”
The statue of Robert E. Lee has been placed in storage until the government decides what they want to do with it.