As an excavation crew struggles to find a time capsule from 1887 said to be buried within the base of Richmond’s newly removed Robert E. Lee monument, a replacement capsule was interred in the concrete pedestal on Thursday.
The new time capsule contains articles particularly significant to 2020 and 2021, including those that recall the coronavirus pandemic and the civil unrest that followed the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
ROBERT E LEE STATUE REMOVED IN VIRGINIA CAPITAL
”The creation of this new capsule is a response to the Virginia represented in the old capsule, which promoted Lost Cause mythology and only represented the stories and experiences of a small segment of society,” Gov. Ralph Northam said in a statement. “It is also a representation of the Virginia today, one rooted in our values of inclusion, equity, and diversity.”
Northam’s office announced plans to replace the 1887 capsule in June and invited the people of the state to suggest artifacts for the new one. The governor wanted the items to represent the “inclusive, welcoming Commonwealth that we are building together.”
The public responded with suggestions that mirror the nationwide struggles that came to define the past year. According to David Cary, chief of staff for first lady Pamela Northam, “submissions overwhelmingly reflected the time we are in.”
The 39 items laid to rest within the special container designed for preservation include photos of the protests in Virginia, a book of portraits of immigrants, poems about the pandemic written by school children, a Black Lives Matter sticker, an expired vial of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, fliers from the May 2021 “Stop Asian Hate” protests, and video of an interfaith prayer event sponsored by the governor’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
“The capsule focuses on the story of race in Richmond, but also represents the incredible diversity of Virginia and the path forward as we address historic justice in the Commonwealth,” the governor’s statement said.
The first lady and Janice Underwood, Virginia’s chief diversity officer, were involved in the project. They both enclosed the items within the box made by local sculptor Paul DiPasquale at his studio on Tuesday.
Today is not just about looking to our past. We are leaving a message of Virginia’s progress to future generations as we replace the 134 year old time capsule in the former Lee monument base. pic.twitter.com/uzCSgrX40U
— Pamela Northam (@FirstLadyVA) September 9, 2021
“There’s more here in this capsule that brings us together and unites us as we walk toward the future, as opposed to this sort of polarizing conversation of what race is to Virginia,” Underwood told the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
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Though the initial plan was to put the new capsule in the same spot as the original, the excavators did not find the 134-year-old box in the place they expected. Nevertheless, Pamela Northam presided over the placement of the new capsule on Thursday within the stone they had hoped to find the old one.
“Today is not just about looking to our past. We are leaving a message of Virginia’s progress to future generations as we replace the 134 year old time capsule in the former Lee monument base,” the first lady tweeted following the ceremony.
