Confederate statues and the politics of public art

A statue of Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia,

the former capitol of the Confederacy. Mayor Levar M. Stoney has

said he believes the Confederate statues should be removed.

A rush to remove Confederate statues in dozens of cities has opened a debate. Should they be torn down in the name of today's social values, or maintained as teachable moments, with some kind of instructional material that explains their place in history? And what's the takeaway from this debate for public art today? We talk with Felicia Filer about how a struggle with roots in the South is playing out in the Southland, and why public art matters.