Commission seeks Capitol Square “Section E” for Booker T. Washington statue; launches artist RFP and fundraising plan

The Booker T. Washington Commemorative Commission voted to ask the House of Delegates to permit placement of a full-figure statue of Booker T. Washington on a site the panel identified as “Section E” on Capitol Square, authorized a request-for-proposals process to select an artist and began planning fundraising events to raise roughly $200,000 for the monument.

The commission’s chair opened the meeting saying the group “really need[s] to get moving, on, how to commemorate Mister Washington,” and members agreed to pursue a visible, outdoor location on Capitol Square that would be seen by visitors and during public events, rather than placing the memorial inside the Capitol building. “The optimal place in my mind was in the outside, where someone would approach the Capitol,” said Senator Soudalai, noting the goal of placing Washington among other public memorials so more Virginians would see the tribute.

Why it matters: Commission members said a prominent outdoor placement on Capitol Square would expose more visitors and residents to Booker T. Washington’s life and…