There are 2 stain glass windows in the Nave that bear the Confederate Battle Flag.
These windows were installed in 1953, to honor the lives and legacies of Confederate Generals Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee. The windows were installed, in part, because its leadership at the time hoped they would foster healing between parts of the nation that had been divided by the Civil War. Because it is the "national" cathedral, it sought to depict American history in a way that promoted reconciliation.
On June 25, 2015, Dean Hall, the Cathedral Dean, said that it was time to take those windows out. "Here, in 2015, we know that celebrating the lives of these two men, and the flag under which they fought, promotes neither healing nor reconciliation, especially for our African-American sisters and brothers."
On June 2, 2015, he went on to say, "There simply is no excuse for the nation's most visible church to display a symbol of racism, slavery, and oppression. None."
Dean Hall has called the Cathedral's governing bodies to remove these windows, and to initiate a process to discern what design for the stain glass windows could adequately represent the history of race, slavery, and division in America
I love that the Cathedral has taken such a firm and strong stance on this.
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