Expect some aesthetic but important changes at the Washington National Cathedral soon.
To address issues related to racism, the board of the cathedral decided earlier this week to replace the church's stained glass windows where the Confederate flag is shown. The flag is considered by some as a representation of slavery, hatred and white supremacy.
A task force formed by the cathedral's board spent six months to determine what to do with the controversial windows, after former cathedral Dean Gary Hall remarked that "it is time to take those windows out."
"(T)he windows provide a catalyst for honest discussions about race and the legacy of slavery and for addressing the uncomfortable and too-often avoided issues of race in America," the task force stated in its report, according to Religion News Service.
"Moreover, the windows serve as a profound witness to the Cathedral's own complex history in relationship to race," the task force added.
The issue of the use of the Confederate flag—used by seven southern states during the American Civil War—was reignited after it was reported that the man who shot dead nine people at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina embraced the flag.
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley already earlier ordered the removal of Confederate flags from Statehouse grounds.
In its letter announcing its decision, the cathedral's board acknowledged that the removal of the window panes with the Confederate flag is the best way to address intense feelings about this figure and its depictions.
"We have heard from those who feel strongly that the windows should stay intact as uncomfortable reminders of our shared history, others who believe that the windows should be removed entirely, and some who feel that the windows are appropriate monuments to admirable American leaders," the board said.
The cathedral board has yet to make a decision on what to do with windows honouring Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. Kevin Eckstrom, the cathedral's chief communications officer, nevertheless said the board's decision is a good first step towards addressing issues raised over the controversial windows.
"The windows have prompted the questions and now we hope they're going to be part of the discussion that helps us get to the answers," Eckstrom said.
