After the murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, citizens of Richmond, Virginia took to the streets to address their problematic statues of confederate figures. Jefferson Davis, Stonewall Jackson, J.E.B. Stuart, Matthew Fontaine and later Robert E. Lee all came down, some from the hands of protesters themselves. To many individuals in Richmond and spectators around the world, this was a wake-up moment in the field of oppressive monuments. Things can change before our very eyes if we speak up and let people know how we feel.
A seminal figure in this entire situation was none other than Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney. As the 80th mayor of Richmond, Virginia, Mayor Stoney was in office in 2020 while all of this was happening.
The Monuments Toolkit had the pleasure of sitting down with Mayor Stoney in Richmond for a great 1-on-1 conversation. We spoke about the protests from 2 years ago, the history of Monuments Avenue and steps to reconciliation.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.