Racial reconciliation and justice is a top missional priority at Washington National Cathedral.
St. John reminds us, “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”
The Cathedral seeks to act for justice and model prayerful and productive conversations around issues of race. In our worship, advocacy and witness, we aim to help create Dr. King’s Beloved Community for all of God’s children.
Resources from ‘Gracious and Courageous Conversations’
On October 15 and 16, 2017, more than 200 people came together at the Cathedral for conversation on race, sacred space, and the Cathedral’s Lee-Jackson windows, facilitated by the Kaleidoscope Institute.
Participants took turns responding to reflective questions posed over the course of three rounds of conversation. Song, prayer, and gracious listening brought a diverse group of people to the final question: “What is God calling us to do, be, or change?” Everyone was invited to complete a “pledge” with a variety of options for ongoing participation.
Individuals and groups were asked to write down their hopes and concerns and their answers to the question: “As a result of this dialogue, what is God calling us to do, be, or change with regard to race relations?” This information from those discussions is now available:
- October 15 & 16 program
- Octover 15 readings
- October 15 responses
- October 16 readings
- October 16 responses
- Cathedral timeline
Washington National Cathedral is committed to following up on these first conversations by continuing to engage our congregation and the broader community. To follow or participate in these efforts, sign up here.
Special thanks to the Kaleidoscope Institute, the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, The Episcopal Church and the many facilitators and volunteers who supported these gatherings.
September 6, 2017: A final decision on the Lee-Jackson Windows
After two years of prayer and deliberation, both public and private, the Cathedral Chapter voted overwhelmingly to remove two stained-glass windows honoring Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. “While this part of our work has reached its end, the harder task of working for racial justice, combating intolerance and fostering reconciliation continues with renewed urgency,” Cathedral leaders said. Read the full statement.
June 30, 2017: Dean Hollerith on the Lee-Jackson Windows
Responding to questions about the Cathedral’s process on deciding the future of the Lee-Jackson windows, Dean Randy Hollerith says: “Throughout this process, we will remain committed to our baptismal covenant to “respect the dignity of every human being.” We all must continue be open to the movement of the Spirit in our midst and make space for all of God’s children as we learn and grow together.” Read more.
March 29, 2017 | Saints and Sinners: Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson
Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson are more than just historical figures — for some, they are Southern saints. For others, they represent a culture and way of life that was fueled by the enslavement of African Americans. So who were they?
On March 29 at 7:30 p.m., the Cathedral explored the lives and legacies of these two men, and why their stories were honored in stained glass inside Washington National Cathedral. We’ll also look at the stories of the people who were impacted by Lee and Jackson’s actions, whose stories aren’t reflected in those windows. What did we know of them when they were alive, what did we think of them when the Lee-Jackson windows were installed, and what are we to make of them today?
Speakers include:
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- Jonathan Horn, author of the best-selling “The Man Who Would Not Be Washington: Robert E. Lee’s Civil War and His Decision That Changed American History.“
- The Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, Canon Theologian at Washington National Cathedral
- Dr. David Terry, Coordinator of the Museum Studies & Historical Preservation Program and Assistant Professor at Morgan State University.
- moderated by Joshua Johnson, host of 1A on WAMU
Jan. 16, 2017 | 2 p.m. | We Shall Not Be Moved: Sanctuary, Witness and Covenant
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called on faith communities, specifically the church, to be sanctuary for those in need and to demonstrate public witness to injustice. Through song, narrative, and prophetic reflection, this celebration will explore how faith communities have lived into that call, and what sanctuary and witness look like today.
We will end in the act of covenant – mutual commitment to one another and to the ongoing movement for a just reconciliation, the freedom for which King and others worked tirelessly.
Oct. 26, 2016 | 7 p.m. | Monuments Speak: The Lee-Jackson Windows
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.
On October 26 at 7pm, the Cathedral will hold our first public conversation focused on these windows. Speakers will reflect on their historical and current context, and respond to the Cathedral’s decision to remove the image of the Confederate flag while retaining the full windows during this interim period.
Speakers include:
- Dr. Rex Ellis, Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs, National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Dr. John Coski, Historian at The American Civil War Museum and author of “The Confederate Battle Flag: America’s Most Embattled Emblem”
- The Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, Canon Theologian at Washington National Cathedral
- moderated by journalist Ray Suarez
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.
Sept. 21, 2016 | Freedom’s Call & Response in African American Spirituals
In partnership with the new National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Cathedral presents “God’s Gonna Trouble the Water: Freedom’s Call & Response in African American Spirituals.”
Watch webcast:
Spirituals tell the often untold story of a people in their struggle to survive and be free from the tyranny of slavery. Through rhythms and song, an enslaved people crafted a music that testified to their faith and their humanity as it contested the ideologies and institutions that enslaved them. The spirituals found expression through the blues and the freedom songs of the Civil Rights movement and continue to call out to us today as they witness to a time when all of God’s children will be free.
Selections include Wade in the Water, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, Woke up this Morning, Go Down Moses, This Little Light of Mine, We Shall Overcome, and John Coltrane’s searing composition Alabama, composed as musical response to the Birmingham church bombing of 1963.
Speakers and Musicians include:
- The Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, Canon Theologian at the Cathedral
- The Rev. Dr. Rosemarie Duncan, Canon for Worship at the Cathedral
- Kehembe Eichelberger, Associate Professor of Voice at Howard University
- Stanley Thurston, Artist-in-Residence at the Cathedral and Artistic Director of Washington Performing Arts
- Dr. Eileen Guenther, Professor of Church Music at Wesley Theological Seminary
For additional information, click here.
July 17, 2016 | The dialogue continues
On Sunday, July 17, the Cathedral hosted a panel discussion on “What the White Church Must Do,” in partnership with the March on Washington Film Festival.
Speakers include:
- The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Bishop of Washington and Interim Cathedral Dean
- The Rev. Jim Wallis, president of Sojourners and author of America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America
- The Rev. Dr. Delman Coates, senior pastor of Mt. Ennon Baptist Church in Clinton, Md. (Pastor Coates’ sermon can be found here)
- The Rev. Amy Stapleton, team leader for organizational accountability at the General Commission on Religion and Race of the United Methodist Church
- The Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas (moderator), the Cathedral’s Canon Theologian and author of Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God
