Confederate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery to Be Removed Despite Opposition

The controversial monument, criticized for glorifying the Confederacy and slavery, will be relocated as part of a broader initiative to eliminate Confederate symbols from U.S. military facilities.

The Confederate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, erected in 1914, is set to be removed by December 22, 2023, despite opposition from over 40 Republican congressmen and Virginia's Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin.
The removal is part of a broader initiative to eliminate Confederate symbols from U.S. military facilities, following a Department of Defense directive issued in 2020.
The memorial's bronze elements will be relocated, while the granite base and foundation will remain to avoid disturbing surrounding graves.
Governor Youngkin plans to relocate the monument to the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park in the Shenandoah Valley.
The memorial, which depicts Confederate soldiers and enslaved Black people, has been criticized for glorifying the Confederacy and the institution of slavery.