I totally agree with F.T. Rea, that the Jefferson Davis Monument should be removed pronto. As for atonement, let’s do it properly. Let’s now focus on completing a suitable Site of Conscience at the Lumpkin’s Jail slave market site and the African Burial Ground in Shockoe Bottom. City leaders have already forged the path. Public support — including big donations from Richmond’s private sector — can make this a world-class educational attraction. It’s time to acknowledge the truth of slavery and its legacies, which confront us today.

Ben Ragsdale
Richmond