Entertainment Africa
A new petition is calling for the removal of a Confederate monument that honors “the Confederate dead of Portsmouth and Norfolk County” and calls for it to be instead replaced with a statue of Missy Elliot.
Nathan Coflin of Virginia, who posted the petition, argued that Elliot has had five Grammy Awards and has sold over 30 million albums. Not to mention she doesn’t stand for racism.
Mayor John Rowe has shown some support for recent calls to move the obelisk from Court Street to the Cedar Grove Cemetery, noting that “we don’t need to continue fighting the Civil War” and that the dead would still be honored at the new location.
Coflin agrees with the mayor’s sentiment, and notes that his petition provides the perfect replacement for the empty space that would be left by the monument’s removal.
“Missy is Portsmouth’s hometown icon,” Coflin told the Huffington Post. “The mayor of Portsmouth has already declared his support for moving the current monument from where it stands to a nearby cemetery where Confederate soldiers are buried. This will leave a void where the current one stands. Missy represents the diversity of Portsmouth and what hard work and perseverance can do. An inspiration to the town.”
