Virginia senator proposes legislation to remove Robert E. Lee's name from Arlington House
New bill would remove name of 'Robert E. Lee' from Arlington House
The historic Arlington House could become a national historic site and drop "Robert E. Lee" from its name. FOX 5's Tisha Lewis has the details.
ARLINGTON COUNTY, Va. - The historic Arlington House could become a national historic site and drop "Robert E. Lee" from its name.
What's happening:
As it currently stands, it is known as Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial.
U.S. Senator Tim Kaine introduced legislation to redesignate the site. Kaine hopes to change that and restore its original name — Arlington House.
Kaine’s bill would repeal statues that memorialized Lee, including Arlington House. It would also add a formal historic site designation to the name.
That means the site would be named Arlington House National Historic Site.
"The names of our national sites hold significance and should honor individuals whom we can all look up to," Kaine said.
FOX 5 reached out to the senator for additional comments and he was unavailable due to his schedule Wednesday.
Big picture view:
Kaine's proposed legislation to remove Robert E. Lee’s name from Arlington House comes amid Black History Month. He says the removal reflects our nation’s values.
"The names of our national sites hold significance and should honor individuals whom we can all look up to," Kaine said in a statement. "That’s why I’m introducing this legislation to remove Robert E. Lee’s name from Arlington House. During Black History Month, we recommit to restoring the original name to better tell the whole history of the house and reflect our nation’s values."
"It seems to be a continual pattern by the state of Virginia to rectify some of these issues related to confederate names," said Virginia NAACP’s Phillip Thompson.
The mansion sits on a hill near Arlington National Cemetery on federal land. It was the first memorial to George Washington.
The legislation was originally inspired by the descendants of slaves who worked at Arlington House.