RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Richmond took down their confederate monuments in 2020, now they have established who will be tasked with deciding where those statues go next.

The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia will receive the monuments and memorials, including the Robert E. Lee monument, as a donation now that Richmond City Council has approved Resolution 2022-R002.

Ahead of the councilmember’s unanimous yes vote, they discussed what other possibilities they had entertained for the disposition of the statues. Previously, Richmond had solicited proposals from individuals and organizations interested in acquiring one or multiple of the Confederate monuments. Councilwoman Kristen Nye said she supported the resolution but was disappointed in how long it took to come to a final decision.

Councilman Andreas Addison said that the applications they received were not for positive projects and some centered around creating a profit off the statues. He commended the museum for taking over the monuments’ next moves, saying it was a valiant effort.

Councilman Mike Jones said it was time to let the Black History Museum and Valentine Museum find a way to prevent the statues from continuing to cause harm.

Addison said Richmond has opportunities to tell its’ “wholistic story.” Jones expressed something similar saying, “the city is bigger than our confederate past and we have to be.”

There was only one public speaker who made comments ahead of the Monday night vote. The speaker argued that sending the statues to the Black History Museum did not make any sense. They claimed Richmond should promote and profit from its’ Confederate past.

Richmond’s removal of the statues in 2020 came in the wake of consistent large-scale protests pushing for racial justice after police murdered George Floyd police in Minneapolis.

The list of monuments be donated to the museum include: