We revel in the new energy and spirit that artist Kehinde Wiley’s monumental sculpture, “Rumors of War,” ushers into Richmond.

The local unveiling this week of the 27-foot-tall statue outside the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts brings a welcome and contemporary update to the very visible public spaces that adorn our city.

No longer will the embarrassing tributes to racist traitors be the only grand statues to dot the cityscape. Mr. Wiley’s urban masterpiece featuring a young African-American man with dreadlocks, jeans and high-top sneakers regally on horseback makes a bold statement. Combined with the statues of banker Maggie L. Walker in Downtown and the humble Arthur Ashe Jr. statue tucked away on Monu- ment Avenue, “Rumors of War” brings more of a balance to public art that shows Richmond to be a diverse place embracing all cultures.

We congratulate the museum, director Alex Nyerges, curator Valerie Cassel Oliver and the museum board, led by Dr. Monroe E. Harris Jr., for their forward and positive vision of the museum as a place to help lead Richmond away from the past and into the light.

Acquiring Mr. Wiley’s sculpture required a major financial commitment of more than $2 million, which Mr. Nyerges said came from private donors. We appreciate their generosity and actions to help transform Richmond into a more progressive city. “Rumors of War,” and the publicity it will generate, signals that transformation and sends a positive message not only to residents but also to those who are considering visiting, relocating or moving their businesses to Richmond.

When Mr. Wiley came to Richmond in 2016 as part of his major exhibition, “Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic,” at VMFA, he was struck — like many visitors — by the massive equestrian tributes to an inglorious past of white supremacy lining Monument Avenue. Through his latest work, Mr. Wiley helps Richmonders understand that while the city may have served as the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War, we don’t have to remain stuck with that narrative.

In short but powerful remarks to the thousands of people who turned out despite gloomy and rainy weather for the upbeat ceremony, Mr. Wiley explained that “Rumors of War,” is “a story about America 2.0” — the next generation. It’s a tribute not to any one individual, he told the crowd, but “about black men and their place in this society, and in a much broader way, a society that can say ‘Yes’ to black men and their place in this society. It is about a society that includes all of us.”

There is no question that “Rumors of War” is a major boost for Richmond.

Sometimes it takes an outsider to help foster progress. We have seen that with Mr. Wiley and his work. The VMFA, with its richly diverse staff and board leadership, has made a positive end run around Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s Monument Avenue Commission that in July 2018 offered only spineless and ineffective recommendations for dealing with the Confederate statues on Monument Avenue. The commission weakly recommended that only the statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis be taken down and that signs adding historical context be placed with the rest.

That doesn’t work for us. If Richmond is going to continue to move forward, the Confederate statues must come down.

Mayor Stoney, Richmond City Council members and Confederate sympathizers alike should not mistakenly believe that the Wiley statue mitigates the damage caused by the Confederate statues on Monument Avenue. It does not. Adding a statue of a black man on a horse does not subtract the inference of white supremacy and intimidation intended when the statues to a Lost Cause were erected. That intimidation remains as flag-waving neo-Confederate and white supremacy groups continue to use the Richmond statues as rallying points.

Huge public statues honoring people who picked up arms against the U.S. government and shed blood to keep black people in human bondage should not be on a pedestal for remembrance or reverence by the public. Such statues are detrimental to the psyche of people in this city.

“Rumors of War” will not slow down or stop the efforts to get rid of the Confederate statues honoring an evil em- pire. City Councilman Michael J. Jones proved that when he announced Monday that he will reintroduce a resolution asking the General Assembly to grant Richmond authority to determine what to do with our monuments.

We call on state lawmakers and Gov. Ralph S. Northam to eliminate the state law that protects memorials to war veterans but that was designed to prevent Richmond and other localities from removing or relocating Confederate monuments.

We will continue to advocate for the removal of the Confederate statues to historical sites, such as Civil War battlefields, cemeteries and museums, in order to place them in the context they deserve. Monument Avenue should be reserved for true heroes, like Arthur Ashe and others who contributed to the greater good of all people.

This is a new day in Virginia. And we call on people of conscience, people of means, people who want to see a change, to come together to help find more appropriate placements for the Confederate statues on Monument Avenue and to replace them with monuments that will make all of us proud.