But the effort would not exist without Zyahna Bryant, a Black woman who first called for the measure as a high school student in 2016.

Now a student at the University of Virginia, Bryant is seeing her vision become reality, one that would have never been realized without her efforts.

Bryant was on hand on Thursday as Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced the statue would finally be removed from Richmond’s Monument Avenue.

According to NPR, Northam also urged Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney to remove the rest of the smaller confederate statues surrounding the monument.

“Today, we made history – and I am so proud that I was able to speak at Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s press conference as he announced the removal of confederate monuments in Richmond, our state Capitol.