The National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., unveiled a new set of stained glass windows Saturday.
Since 1953, two windows were designed to honor Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson and even contained depictions of the Confederate battle flag until 2015. However, in 2017, following the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, the windows were removed entirely. On Saturday, artist Kerry James Marshall’s design with a racial justice theme was unveiled under the title “Now and Forever,” featuring protesters with signs that read: “No foul play” and “Fairness.”
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“Art isn’t only about aesthetics; it also can be a tool for reinterpreting familiar narratives and confronting uncomfortable truths,” Marshall said in a press release. “It can also inspire progress, and these windows are a visual invitation to reflect on the meaning of America today.”
Marshall notably charged the church $18.65 for the commission, in reference to the end of the Civil War. Typically, Marshall’s work is sold for tens of millions, but this was his first piece in the stained glass medium, which was accomplished with the help of glass expert Andrew Goldkuhle.
To dedicate the windows, a poem titled “American Song” written by Elizabeth Alexander was read aloud. Part of it reads: “Walk toward freedom. Work toward freedom/Believe in beloved community./We are not yet close enough to heaven./Aspire to song. Aspire to the lift/of voices joined to make a mighty noise.” It will be engraved in limestone and put on display in the next nine months.
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson participated in the service by reading excerpts from Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letters from Birmingham Jail.
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“The unveiling of Kerry James Marshall’s windows and Elizabeth Alexander’s poem marks a significant moment in the Cathedral’s history — windows that celebrated division are being replaced by windows extolling the pursuit of justice,” said the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, who serves as dean of the cathedral. “The addition of these windows and the powerful words that accompany them allows us to tell a truer story of America, a story that confronts our past and invites all of us into a more inclusive and hopeful future.”
Washington’s National Cathedral began construction in 1909 under then-President Theodore Roosevelt, who laid the foundation stone. It was not finished until 1990 when then-President George H. W. Bush laid the final stone on top of one of its towers.
