Beyer, Local Delegation Introduce Legislation To End Arlington House’s Designation As A “Robert E. Lee. Memorial”
By: Rep. Don Beyer
December 15, 2020
Rep. Don Beyer today introduced federal legislation to remove the designation of Arlington House as a memorial to Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The legislation, which was partially inspired by the request of descendants of people who were enslaved at Arlington House, was cosponsored by Virginia Representatives Gerry Connolly and Jennifer Wexton, and by D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.
“We are presently engaged in a long-overdue reckoning with the history of racism and slavery in America and in our own community, which has appropriately included a reexamination of public symbols. I absolutely support that process, including actions that make it clear we do not revere Confederate leaders or condone the enslavement of human beings,” said Beyer. “Robert E. Lee himself opposed erecting Confederate monum