Mary Jane Richards (Bowser) was the most important source in the Richmond Union Spy Ring ran by Bet Van Lew during the Civil War. Monument Avenue in Richmond is finally ready to abandon its simultaneous idolization of the Confederacy and Richmond heroes.  If we want to solemnize the Civil War lets shine a light on the Union Spy ring in Richmond that aided in the Union victory, in particular Mary Jane Richards.  

From Wikipedia:  "Mary Jane Richards, also known as Mary Jane Richards Denman, Mary Jane Richards Garvin and possibly Mary Bowser, was a Union spy during the Civil War. She was enslaved from birth in Richmond, Virginia, but was effectively freed as a young child in 1843 when her owner, John Van Lew, died and his daughter, the abolitionist Elizabeth "Bet" Van Lew, took ownership of all his slaves and subsequently freed them all (though not legally, as emancipation of slaves was forbidden). But Van Lew then had Richards sent to school. When the Civil War broke out, Van Lew recruited her to serve as a spy and helper for the Union cause. She relayed information she heard to Van Lew, who in turn communicated it to Union leadership. Richards was only one of a spy ring run by Van Lew, although Van Lew considered Richards her most important source."

While even her name is in question, Mary's contributions and those of the spy ring she was associated with are not.  (https://time.com/5609045/misremembering-mary-bowser/ . She has been inducted into the Military Intelligence Corps Hall of Fame (https://www.ikn.army.mil/apps/MIHOF/biographies/Bowser,%20Mary%20Elizabeth.pdf)

Building monuments that focus on Virginia heroes and positive contributions is an essential step in righting the wrongs in our society.  Spies are rarely memorialized or even remembered for their often critical contributions during wartime.  This proposed monument would address both issues.