Make your voice heard at public Monument Avenue Commission meeting tonight at VHS

Following the formation of a 13-person commission to study ways to add context to the Confederate statues on Monument Avenue, the City of Richmond will host the first public meeting on the topic tonight at the Virginia Historical Society.

The Monument Avenue Commission is made up of area leaders from a wide range of perspectives and backgrounds including the American Civil War Museum, the University of Richmond, and the Library of Virginia. They and others will serve alongside hand-picked city staff members.

Doors will open at 6:00 PM, and there will be two sign-in tables. All attendees are asked to leave their name and address. Those wishing to speak will be assigned a number. A commissioner will then draw 50 numbers at random, and the chosen names will be allowed to speak and voice their comments.

No signs, banners, large bags, or protests will be allowed inside the facility, per Virginia Historical Society regulations.

The meeting agenda, per Mayor Levar Stoney’s office, is as follows:

1. Welcome (2-3 minutes): Jamie Bosket, Director of Virginia Historical Society
2. Purpose of the Commission (3-5 minutes): Christy Coleman and Greg Kimball
3. Comment Period (100 minutes): 50 speakers will be allowed two minutes each to leave their comments on the record
4. Closing: Commission remarks and wrap-up