The Irony: Black-Owned Company Leads Revitalization Of Former Robert E. Lee Statue Site

The controversial statue of Confederate leader Robert E. Lee was taken down after the murder of George Floyd; now a Black-owned company YME Landscape in Richmond, Virginia, has been hired to revitalize the site and usher in a new beginning.

Owned by Earl Gary, YME Landscape began working on the site earlier this month with plans of planting 6,000 varieties of plant-life and over 25 trees. However, the shadow of what was is not lost on Gary, who finds deeper meaning in the moment.

“I think it’s very unique, the odds of me getting in a position like this,” he told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “I’m really grateful to be given this opportunity to perform with all of the history that comes with it.”

Historical context aside, the job is also a massive undertaking for YME, which opened in 2007.

“I’ve been doing landscaping for a long time, but I don’t think I had too many jobs where I had to plant 6,000 plants,” the 47-year-old Gary said.

The city approved the temporary landscaping plan in the fall of last year to refresh the empty space until a long-term solution is reached—there has been no word on what can potentially replace the former monument to Lee.

For Gary, however, the occasion is in line with why he started his company after leaving a career in electrical engineering.

“A lot of times when I was working in engineering, I was pretty much the only minority working there,” he said. “I learned really quickly, ‘Am I ever going to get that junior executive position or senior executive position?’ I’m not saying I couldn’t, but the landscape didn’t look the same to me as someone that’s not in the minority.”

What initially started as an avenue to create sustainable growth for himself professionally has turned into a thriving business that employs other men who look like him.