In 2017, the Washington National Cathedral permanently removed stained-glass windows in the cathedral that had been dedicated in 1953 to honor Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.
Concluding that the windows told an incomplete and misleading account of history, the cathedral engaged world-renowned visual artist Kerry James Marshall to create new stained-glass windows, based on the theme of racial justice. The cathedral also engaged acclaimed poet Elizabeth Alexander to write an original poem, “American Song,” which will be engraved in stone below the windows.
The cathedral’s Now and Forever Windows capture the resilience, faith and endurance of African Americans and our nation’s struggle with the original sins of racism and slavery. Through this new addition, the cathedral aims to tell a broader, more inclusive story of American history—a place where everyone sees their story reflected in the cathedral’s art and iconography.
The Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University recently partnered with the Washington National Cathedral and created an interactive exhibit, Freedom Story, to celebrate the unveiling of the new Now and Forever Windows at the Washington National Cathedral on Sept. 23, 2023.
The exhibit, which remained in the cathedral’s Visitor’s Lounge through October, invited visitors to share their story of justice in words, images and reflections to an ever-growing community poem, “Freedom Story,” and to place their contribution on a digital map of the world, shown on a touchscreen in the exhibit.
Share your own response and contribute to the ongoing story of the cathedral’s Now and Forever Windows by reading the Wick Poetry Center's model community poem “Freedom Story” (see below) and following the prompts provided here.
Freedom Story
I want to transform pain into promise.
I want justice to guide my every breath.
I want to see my fate as yours –
each of us, like painted glass, joined together,
fitted into a patchwork.
I offer my hands to mend the walls of the house of prayer, to stitch and repair the torn hem of our democracy.
I offer my feet to march toward fairness and equality, my shoulders to carry my brothers and sisters.
I offer not an easy hope, but a muscular one,
a hope soldered in my chest.
My voice chisels words of justice into hearts and minds,
echoes off stone vaulted ceilings during Evensong.
My voice is not afraid to speak up and stand out.
My voice is a double-bell trumpet in harmony for peace.
My voice is an instrument of change.
Together, we grasp our hands in an unbreakable union.
Together, we glaze and cement our lives in mosaic-stained glass.
Together, we speak through our wounds to tell a new story, a freedom story, now and forever.
A community poem celebrating the Now and Forever Windows at the Washington National Cathedral, created by The Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University
Watch the dedication service for the Now and Forever Windows, browse photos, and view the behind-the-scenes documentary here.