Fight racism & make history:

Help us transform a national symbol of white supremacy into a new work of art that will reflect racial justice and inclusion.

What is Swords Into Plowshares?

Swords Into Plowshares is an innovative project to melt down the statue of Robert E. Lee that formerly stood in one of Charlottesville’s public parks and use the bronze to make a new work of public art.

The artistic transformation will be informed by a six-month community engagement process where residents of Charlottesville can participate in forums to help determine how the social value of inclusion can be represented through art and public space.

We will then commission an artist of national significance to work with our community to design and create new bronze sculptural art that we will display publicly in Charlottesville by 2026.

Is it possible? 

The statue was removed from a public park in July 2021. In October, Charlottesville City Council requested proposals from organizations interested in taking possession of the statue. You can read our proposal and 28 letters of support here. 

• Read national coverage of our proposal in the Washington Post, NPR, HuffPost, the Associated Press, Harper’s Bazaar, and the New Yorker. 

On December 6, the Charlottesville City Council voted to give the statue to the Jefferson School. Swords Into Plowshares is happening! Join us! 

Who is Swords into Plowshares?

We are a coalition of Charlottesville-based organizations spearheaded by the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center. The coalition includes the Democracy Initiative’s Memory Project at the University of Virginia, Virginia Humanities, and the artist-run gallery Visible Records. We have additional support from Descendants of Enslaved Communities at UVA, the Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative, as well as local clergy groups, arts organizations, educators, and activists. 

Why Swords Into Plowshares?

In 2016, a high school student named Zyahna Bryant created a petition calling for the removal of the Lee statue. It gathered significant local support and City Council eventually authorized the statue’s removal. 

The Lee statue erupted from a local to an international symbol of white supremacy when, in August 2017, neo-Nazi rioters descended on Charlottesville to halt the removal. The violence that engulfed our city became synonymous with globally-resurgent white nationalism. Many were injured and a woman named Heather Heyer was killed, when a Nazi-sympathizer drove his car into a crowd of racial justice demonstrators.

The Lee statue has been a singular source of harm to the Charlottesville community. We believe that racist symbols are not immutable parts of our cultural heritage. “Swords into Plowshares” offers Charlottesville–and the nation–the chance to transform our trauma into renewal through art. We hope this process may become a model for other communities hoping to heal from racial violence.

Join our team in making history by creating public spaces that belong to all.  

What We Need:

We estimate that the first stages of this project will cost $1.1 million dollars. We’ve already raised $590,000 from the UVA Memory Project, Virginia Humanities, and the Open Society Foundations. 

We hope to raise an additional $500,000 from grassroots supporters in Virginia and around the country who believe in overturning white supremacy and that creativity can heal the wounds of the past. 

The money we raise will be used to fund:

• the transportation of the statue to a foundry and its transformation into bronze ingots
• a six-month community engagement process led by UVA’s Institute for Engagement + Negotiation 
• the commissioning of a nationally-recognized artist to work with the community in designing and creating a new work of art
• a salaried project manager position at the JSAAHC to oversee Swords Into Plowshares

To Show Our Thanks:

Anyone who donates to Swords Into Plowshares, no matter the amount, will have the chance to be listed as contributor on our website and in all promotional materials. Every person counts. We will be circulating a form to after the campaign asking contributors if and how they would like to be credited.

We’ve worked with Charlottesville-based graphic designer Bunmi Collins to create a unique icon that conveys our sense of hope and change. Early donors can proudly show their support with bumper magnet ($10 perk) and T-shirts ($50 perk).

Charlottesville photographers Eze Amos and Stephen Barling have each donated images for limited-edition “Swords Into Plowshares” posters. There are currently 500 of each available ($100 perk).

Other Ways You Can Help:

• Spread the word! Share this project with other people who are excited about fighting racism and white supremacy. 
• If you are an artist, creator, or business and would like to donate something we can use as a perk for this fundraising campaign, please contact us here.
• If you like this project and would like to get involved in a more substantial way, please contact us here.