Photos show how the Robert E. Lee statue in Virginia has been reclaimed to support the Black Lives Matter movement

Natalie ColarossiJul 22, 2020, 05:13 IST

The image of late Rep. John Lewis, a pioneer of the civil rights movement and long-time member of the U.S. House of Representatives, is projected on the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia, U.S. July 19, 2020.REUTERS/Jay Paul

The Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond, Virginia, has been reclaimed with Black Lives Matter art and messages since the death of George Floyd.
Images of historic Black activists and thinkers have been projected onto the monument, including Rep. John Lewis, Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, and WEB Du Bois.
Amid the reckoning over Confederate monuments in the US, the statue has become a meeting place for people to gather, protest, and create.

The statue of Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia, — one of the most infamous Confederate monuments in the US — has been reclaimed with images to support the Black Lives Matter movement after the death of George Floyd.

At varying points over the last two months, Virginia-based lighting artist Dustin Klein has projected the faces of Black activists and thinkers, including Rep. John Lewis, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, and WEB Du Bois, overtop the statue.

The surrounding area has become a hub for protests and gatherings, as people show up in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, while community members cook out, play games, and take photos against the backdrop of the projections.

"There's just a feeling of community and family. All around the circle, you have all different people coming around and doing different things. It's really inspiring," Joseph Rogers, an organizer with Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice, and Equality told the AP.

These images show how the statue has been transformed.

After George Floyd was killed by police on May 25, Virginia-based lighting artist Dustin Klein gathered his equipment and projected an image of him atop the Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond.

Artist Dustin Klein projects an image of George Floyd onto the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia, U.S. June 18, 2020. REUTERS/Julia Rendleman

After George Floyd was killed by police on May 25, Virginia-based lighting artist Dustin Klein gathered his equipment and projected an image of him atop the Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond.

Klein felt that it would be important to project an image of Floyd as a form of peaceful protest against the backdrop of a pro-slavery Confederate monument.

An image of George Floyd is projected on the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia, U.S. June 20, 2020. REUTERS/Jay Paul

"I set up, and everyone appreciated it," Klein told Richmond Magazine. "The memorial is super sad, and we are all trying to grieve, but the [projected] faces have resonated, they're haunting. I think that's why people have been asking me to come back."

Artist Dustin Klein projects a Black Lives Matter image onto the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia, U.S. June 18, 2020. REUTERS/Julia Rendleman

"I set up, and everyone appreciated it," Klein told Richmond Magazine. "The memorial is super sad, and we are all trying to grieve, but the [projected] faces have resonated, they're haunting. I think that's why people have been asking me to come back."

At the end of June, Klein kept up the work by projecting an image of WEB Du Bois, a civil rights activist, historian, scholar, writer, sociologist, educator, and poet.

Artist Dustin Klein projects an image of sociologist W.E.B. Du Bois onto the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia, U.S. June 18, 2020. REUTERS/Julia Rendleman

A few days later, an image of Harriet Tubman, the iconic abolitionist and activist who helped free at least 70 people from slavery, donned the statue.

An image of Harriet Tubman is projected on the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia, U.S. June 20, 2020. REUTERS/Jay Paul

In this photo, people are seen gathering around to see the projection of Tubman. The quote above her image reads, "Slavery is the next thing to hell."

People look on as an image of Harriet Tubman is projected on the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia, U.S. June 20, 2020. REUTERS/Jay Paul

The face of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was seen on the monument on June 23, with a message to support a bail fund above it.

The face of Martin Luther King Jr is projected onto the pedestal of Robert E. Lee Statue while the face of Donald Trump is projected onto the back end of General Lees horse on June 23, 2020 in Richmond, Virginia. Eze Amos/Getty Images

The statue was also used to show support for the LBGTQ community by displaying a rainbow flag during Pride month.

Protesters rally against racial inequality and the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, around the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, with the colours of the Pride flag projected on it, in Richmond, Virginia, U.S. June 12, 2020. REUTERS/Jay Paul

Here, an image of Frederick Douglass, a leading abolitionist who escaped slavery, is seen projected onto the statue's base.

An image of Frederick Douglass is projected onto the statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia, U.S. July 1, 2020. REUTERS/Julia Rendleman

Most recently, the statue depicted an image of John Lewis, the legendary civil rights activist and Georgia representative who died on July 17 at the age of 80.

At a time when Americans are reckoning with what to do with Confederate monuments, the Robert E. Lee statue has been transformed with messages to support the BLM movement, and to provide a space for community gatherings.

Kennedy George, 14, and Ava Holloway, 14, pose in front of a monument of Confederate general Robert E. Lee after Virginia Governor Ralph Northam ordered its removal after widespread civil unrest following the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Richmond, Virginia, U.S. June 5, 2020. REUTERS/Julia Rendleman

At a time when Americans are reckoning with what to do with Confederate monuments, the Robert E. Lee statue has been transformed with messages to support the BLM movement, and to provide a space for community gatherings.

"All of these pictures you're seeing around the statue: It's about their lives and the injustice that has occurred," Lorenzo Nicholson, a visitor who came to see the statue told the AP. "You can't be human and not feel this."

"All of these pictures you're seeing around the statue: It's about their lives and the injustice that has occurred," Lorenzo Nicholson, a visitor who came to see the statue told the AP. "You can't be human and not feel this."

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Photos show how the Robert E. Lee statue in Virginia has been reclaimed to support the Black Lives Matter movement

After George Floyd was killed by police on May 25, Virginia-based lighting artist Dustin Klein gathered his equipment and projected an image of him atop the Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond.

Klein felt that it would be important to project an image of Floyd as a form of peaceful protest against the backdrop of a pro-slavery Confederate monument.

"I set up, and everyone appreciated it," Klein told Richmond Magazine. "The memorial is super sad, and we are all trying to grieve, but the [projected] faces have resonated, they're haunting. I think that's why people have been asking me to come back."

At the end of June, Klein kept up the work by projecting an image of WEB Du Bois, a civil rights activist, historian, scholar, writer, sociologist, educator, and poet.

A few days later, an image of Harriet Tubman, the iconic abolitionist and activist who helped free at least 70 people from slavery, donned the statue.

In this photo, people are seen gathering around to see the projection of Tubman. The quote above her image reads, "Slavery is the next thing to hell."

The face of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was seen on the monument on June 23, with a message to support a bail fund above it.

The statue was also used to show support for the LBGTQ community by displaying a rainbow flag during Pride month.

Here, an image of Frederick Douglass, a leading abolitionist who escaped slavery, is seen projected onto the statue's base.

Most recently, the statue depicted an image of John Lewis, the legendary civil rights activist and Georgia representative who died on July 17 at the age of 80.

At a time when Americans are reckoning with what to do with Confederate monuments, the Robert E. Lee statue has been transformed with messages to support the BLM movement, and to provide a space for community gatherings.

"All of these pictures you're seeing around the statue: It's about their lives and the injustice that has occurred," Lorenzo Nicholson, a visitor who came to see the statue told the AP. "You can't be human and not feel this."