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Shaping the Past Exhibition – Zyahna Bryant

Zyahna Bryant is an activist and leader who sparked a national reckoning around monuments, police violence, and structural white supremacy. In 2016, as a high school sophomore, Bryant started a petition to remove Robert E. Lee’s name and statue from public parks in Charlottesville, leading to a City Council vote in favor of removal in 2017. Her actions sparked a “monumental justice” movement, addressing symbols and systems of injustice across the United States and beyond. 

Zyahna Bryant’s leadership and activism illustrate the importance of collective action in public spaces, as reminders that “people shape and change space in order to be heard.”

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Zyahna Bryant

Zyahna Bryant

© Zyahna Bryant

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LEFT: Removal of the Johnny Reb Confederate statue in Charlottesville, Virginia, September 2020; RIGHT: Image of a homemade street sign at Marcus-David Peters Circle, Richmond, Virginia, June 2020

LEFT: Removal of the Johnny Reb Confederate statue in Charlottesville, Virginia, September 2020; RIGHT: Image of a homemade street sign at Marcus-David Peters Circle, Richmond, Virginia, June 2020

Courtesy of the artist

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Community members gathered at Marcus-David Peters Circle on a Saturday afternoon, Richmond, Virginia, June 2020

Community members gathered at Marcus-David Peters Circle on a Saturday afternoon, Richmond, Virginia, June 2020

Courtesy of the artist

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