monuments speak THE LEE-JACKSON WINDOWS
wednesday, october 26, 2016, 7 pm washington national cathedral LETTER FROM THE DEAN
Dear friends, It is my pleasure to welcome you to Washington National Cathedral, and to thank you for joining us as we undertake the important work of racial reconciliation that God has called us to do at this moment in our national life. As you probably know, the Lee-Jackson windows that bring us together tonight have been the topic of considerable debate and discussion; it’s my prayer that we will continue this dialogue with open hearts and open minds. These windows—and the questions they raise—give us an extraordinary opportunity to learn more about ourselves, our collective history and the perhaps uncomfortable places to which God is calling us. Yes, these windows are about our history, but they are also so much about our future. How shall we move forward, together? How shall we learn from each other, together? How shall we use these windows to write a new narrative of our history, together? The task before us is to discern, together, how best to seize this moment in our national and civic life. Tonight, you’ll hear from the Cathedral’s canon theologian, the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, and others. Canon Douglas has described this process as journeying together into the pit and coming out together on the other side. At times, that journey can seem fraught with peril. It can be messy. It can be uncomfortable. But yet, our prayer is that we emerge from that pit with a newfound sense of mission, a new understanding of ourselves and our history, and a renewed energy to help lead this nation toward a moment of restoration and reconciliation. This journey will not be completed tonight. We invite you to participate in future dialogues, to tell your truths about our shared history as we listen to others share theirs, and to offer your ideas about the future we are building together. So thank you for coming. Thank you for journeying into the pit with us. Thank you for your openness. Thank you for the gifts and experiences that each of you bring to this process. May God richly bless you, and this Cathedral, as we continue this work together. Faithfully,
The Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith Cathedral Dean ABOUT THE PROGRAM In 2015, immediately following the Charleston massacre, then-Dean Gary Hall called for the removal of two stained glass windows in the Cathedral that honor Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. After a year of exploration by an appointed task force, the Cathedral made the decision to remove the image of the Confederate battle flag from these two windows and to embark on a program of robust discussion and engagement on race and the Church. Tonight’s panel represents the first of several public discussions on the Jackson-Lee Windows, the legacy of slavery, Confederate monuments and the Cathedral’s responsibility to address a history that is, in some ways, as present to us today as the stained glass windows in the fabric of the Cathedral. This program is underwritten by gifts given in honor of the Very Rev. Gary Hall in thanksgiving for his leadership and prophetic voice during his tenure at Washington National Cathedral.
PARTICIPANTS the rev. dr. kelly brown douglas is the Susan D. Morgan Distinguished Professor of Religion at Goucher College in Baltimore and is the canon theologian at Washington National Cathedral. Considered a leader in the field of womanist theology, racial reconciliation and sexuality and the black church, she holds degrees from Denison University and obtained her Ph.D. from Union Theological Seminary. Her newest book is Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God. dr. john m. coski is author of The Confederate Battle Flag: America’s Most Embattled Emblem, the only scholarly study of the history of the Confederate battle flag. He is historian at The American Civil War Museum (incorporating The Museum of the Confederacy) in Richmond, Va., where he has worked since 1988. He earned his B.A. in history from Mary Washington College, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the College of William and Mary. dr. rex m. ellis is the associate director for curatorial affairs at the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) at the Smithsonian Institution and is charged with planning, developing, directing and managing all curatorial and education and outreach programs and activities. His presentations, lectures, workshops and consultancies focus on public programming, diversity, interpretation and African American history and culture. He is the author of two books, Beneath the Blazing Sun: Stories from the African American Journey, and With a Banjo on My Knee. Dr. Ellis received his B.F.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University, an M.F.A. from Wayne State University, a Masters of Divinity from Virginia Union University, and an Ed.D from the College of William and Mary.
Veteran journalist ray suarez is a member of the Cathedral Chapter (governing body) and the permanent host of Al Jazeera America’s daily program Inside Story. Prior to his work with Al Jazeera America, Suarez worked at PBS from 1999 to 2013, most recently as the chief national correspondent for NewsHour. He is the author of Latino Americans, the companion book to the PBS documentary series of the same name, as well as The Holy Vote: The Politics of Faith in America and The Old Neighborhood: What We Lost in the Great Suburban Migration. He earned a B.A. in African history from New York University and an M.A. in the social sciences from the University of Chicago, and has been awarded more than a dozen honorary degrees. ABBREVIATED HISTORY OF THE LEE-JACKSON WINDOWS
1931–1944 Correspondence between Bishop James Freeman (bishop of Washington, 1923–1944), a variety of Cathedral leaders and representatives of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC), recommending a plaque honoring General Robert E. Lee in the Cathedral. 1947–1949 Dean John Suter (Cathedral dean, 1944–1950) recommends that the UDC join other organizations to fund a bay in the nave as a memorial of General Lee and one other person. A funding proposal is defeated at the UDC National convention in 1948 due to concerns about who would be memorialized in the window adjacent to Lee. The proposal passes in 1949. 1951–1952 General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson is selected as the subject of the second window, and donor James Sheldon agrees to match UDC funds to complete funds necessary to build the bay. Design of the windows begins. 1953 Dean Francis Sayre (Cathedral dean, 1951–1978) officiates at the dedication of the Lee-Jackson Bay, held in concurrence with the UDC National Convention.
STAINED GLASS WINDOWS IN THE CATHEDRAL
The Cathedral nave contains three levels of stained glass windows. On the top, or clerestory, level are windows depicting stories of the Bible, moving eastward from the Creation Rose Window in the west through stories from the Old and New Testaments (such as the story of Noah and the flood). The middle, or main arcade, level windows depict stories of people who expressed their faith through secular works, such as religious musicians and composers. Finally, the lowest level outer aisle windows contain windows related to the themes of the individual “bay” areas funded by donors. The Lee-Jackson Windows are on this lowest level.
STAY CONNECTED Stay connected to the Cathedral’s work by signing up. Go to tinyurl.com/WNC-RJ or cathedral.org/racialjustice for more information and to sign up. Additionally, we welcome your ideas for future speakers and programming related to the Lee-Jackson windows. Please email suggestions to [email protected].
2017 PROGRAMMING Mark your calendars for upcoming programs on racial justice at Washington National Cathedral: • Martin Luther King Day celebration: Monday, January 16 • Lee-Jackson Windows panel discussions: Wednesday, January 25, and Thursday, May 11 • Lenten series on racial justice, led by the Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas: Thursdays, March 9, 16, 23 and 30; April 6
ABOUT THE CATHEDRAL Washington National Cathedral is dedicated to serve as a house of prayer for all people and a spiritual home for the nation. It seeks to be a catalyst for spiritual harmony in our nation, reconciliation among faiths and compassion in the world. More at cathedral.org.
cover photo ken cobb
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