UGA student group removes portrait of Confederate leader

A University of Georgia student group voted late Thursday to remove a portrait of Robert E. Lee from its hall.

The Demosthenian Literary Society voted 27-0 with one abstention to take down the portrait of Lee, who served as a general in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, said Alanna Pierce, a first-year UGA law student who is the society’s president.

Pierce said the 40-member society, an oratory group created in 1803, decided to remove the portrait after the recent racially-charged violence in Charlottesville, Va. that has renewed a national debate over monuments to Confederate leaders.

“I am happy,” Pierce said after the vote. “It made us think...It was time for Robert E. Lee to come down. It’s time for our society to move forward.”

Pierce said the portrait may be moved to the university’s Special Collections Libraries.

About the Author

Eric Stirgus

Eric Stirgus joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2001. He is the newsroom's education editor. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Eric is active in the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the Education Writers Association and enjoys mentoring aspiring journalists.

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