National Cathedral unveils racial justice-themed windows, replacing Confederate ones [View all]
Last edited Sun Sep 24, 2023, 01:13 PM - Edit history (1)
Source: NPR
September 23, 2023 6:39 PM ET
Light shines through new stained-glass windows with a theme of racial justice during an unveiling and dedication ceremony at the Washington National Cathedral for the windows on Saturday, Sept. 23 in Washington.
Nick Wass/AP
Six years after two stained-glass windows that honored Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson were taken down, the Washington National Cathedral has unveiled the pair of windows that are taking their place.
The windows, titled "Now and Forever," were created by artist Kerry James Marshall and center around racial justice. The images show a group of protesters marching in different directions and holding up large signs that read "Fairness" and "No Foul Play." The new windows "lift up the values of justice and fairness and the ongoing struggle for equality among all God's great children," the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, the cathedral's dean, said on Saturday at the unveiling.
He said the previous windows "were offensive and they were a barrier to the ministry of this cathedral and they were antithetical to our call to be a house of prayer for all people." "They told a false narrative extolling two individuals who fought to keep the institution of slavery alive in this country," he added.
The earlier windows had been a fixture at the house of worship in Washington, D.C., for more than 60 years. Created in 1953, the windows pay tribute to Lee and Jackson, showcasing scenes from their lives as well as the Confederate battle flag.
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2023/09/23/1201350129/national-cathedral-racial-justice-stained-glass-windows
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