The Washington National Cathedral will remove prominent Confederate symbols from the church’s famed stained glass windows, saying the artwork acts as “a barrier to our important work on racial justice” and the “presence of white supremacy, anti-Semitism and other forms of hate in our nation cannot be ignored.”
The organization that runs the church released a statement earlier this week, announcing the removal of windows that celebrate Generals Robert E. Lee and “Stonewall” Jackson.
“Whatever their origins, we recognize that these windows are more than benign historical markers. For many of God’s children, they are an obstacle to worship in a sacred space; for some, these and other Confederate memorials serve as lampposts along a path that leads back to racial subjugation and oppression,” read the statement.
“The recent violence in Charlottesville brought urgency to our discernment process,” it added.
The National Cathedral’s decision to remove the artwork comes as the country continues its ongoing debate over the place of Confederate memorials and statues throughout the nation.
Last month, President Trump weighed-in on the ongoing controversy, calling the removal of Civil War monuments “sad,” adding that you cannot “erase” American history but you can “learn from it.”
h/t Washington Times