CHANGE
CHANGE CAN BE TOUGH...BUT ADMITTING AND CORRECTING
MISTAKES...SOMETIMES
TOUGHER.
MISTAKES...SOMETIMES TOUGHER. BUT, BOTH ARE
SOMETIMES A NECESSARY
STEP.
BACK IN JUNE WE TOLD
YOU ABOUT CATHEDRAL
OF THE ROCKIES IN BOISE
AND THEIR INTENTION TO
REMOVE A STAINED GLASS
IMAGE OF ROBERT E. LEE
WHICH HUNG INSIDE THE
CATHEDRAL.
TODAY THE CHURCH
MADE GOOD ON THEIR
PROMISE, AND REMOVED
THE IMAGE DURING A
SERVICE.
OUR JOE PARRIS WAS
THERE, HE TALKED WITH
CHURCH AND
COMMUNITY LEADERS
ABOUT WHY THIS ISN'T
JUST A FORMALITY, BUT
AN ACTION AIMED TO
CONTINUE TOUGH
CONVERSATIONS AND
ACTIONS.
"THERE IS NO WAY THAT
IMAGE BELONGS IN THE
HOUSE OF GOD."
A CLEAR MESSAGE AS THE
STAINED GLASS IMAGE OF
ROBERT E. LEE WAS
REMOVED EARLIER FROM
THE CATHEDRAL OF THE
ROCKIES IN BOISE.
"ROBERT E. LEE IS NOT
SOMEONE WHO UPHELD
CHRISTIAN VALUES, AT
LEAST IN HIS LEADERSHIP
AS A GENERAL IN THE
CONFEDERATE ARMY
DEFENDING SLAVERY AND
WORKING TO PROTECT
AND PRESERVE IT."
BISHOP ELAINE
STANOVSKY REPRESENTS
THE UNITED METHODIST
CHURCH IN THE
NORTHWEST. SHE SAYS
REGARDLESS OF THE
REASONING FOR THE
IMAGE OF LEE BEING A
PART OF THE CHURCH,
THERE IS THIS TRUTH.
"IT WAS AN ATTEMPT TO
CHANGE THE NARRATIVE
OF THE CIVIL WAR FROM
BEING ABOUT SLAVERY TO
BEING ABOUT STATES
RIGHTS. AND THAT'S JUST
A WHITEWASH OF THE
REALITY."
DURING A DE-
CONSECRATION SERVICE,
CHURCH LEADERS
CONFESSED AND
REPENTED FOR THE IMAGE
THAT LOOKED OVER THE
CATHEDRAL FOR DECADES.
THE CHURCH IS GIFTING
THE STAINED GLASS TO
THE IDAHO BLACK
HISTORY MUSEUM.
"LESS CONVERSATION
AND MORE OF WHAT WE
SAW TODAY. REAL
INTANGIBLE, PALPABLE
ACTION."
"WE ARE SEEING
TANGIBLE PALPABLE ACTS
THAT ARE
UNCOMFORTABLE AND
ESPECIALLY, I CAN'T
STRESS IT ENOUGH, IN A
HOLY SPACE WHEN THERE
IS AN ADHERENCE TO
HOW WE'VE ALWAYS
DONE THINGS."
PHILLIP THOMPSON,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF
THE IDAHO BLACK
HISTORY MUSEUM SAYS
THIS ACTION IS MORE
THAN JUST A FORMALITY.
"TO SEE IT FINALLY COME
TO FRUITION I WAS
MOVED FOR A LACK OF A
BETTER WORD AND I
HOPE IT'S THE FIRST OF
MANY BECAUSE IT WILL
ALLOW US THE
OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE
FORWARD. AND US
TAKING OWNERSHIP OF IT
HERE AT THE MUSEUM
AFFORDS IT AN
OPPORTUNITY FOR IT TO
BE UTILIZED FOR
SOMETHING POSITIVE
AND NOT TO DESECRATE
SOMETHING
SOMETHING THAT WAS IN A HOLY SPACE." ON THE BACKDROP OF
HISTORICAL CONTEXT,
THOMPSON SAYS THE
ACTION IS POWERFUL,
ESPECIALLY FOR PEOPLE
LIKE HIS MOTHER,
COMMUNITY LEADER
SENATOR CHERIE
BUCKNER-WEBB.
"THIS IS A GREAT DAY IN
THE LIFE OF THIS CHURCH
AND IN OUR COMMUNITY
AS WE UNITED TO
DISMANTLE THE VISION
AND RACISM IN BOISE. WE
GIVE THANKS FOR THIS
DAY AND FOR THOSE
WHO LEAD AND BY THEIR
ACTIONS THAT AFFIRM
THE SANCTITY OF ALL
MANKIND."
"NEVER IMAGINED SEEING
SUCH A THING BECAUSE
SHE CAME UP IN THE ERA
WHEN CERTAIN
CHURCHES DIDN'T ALLOW
BLACK PEOPLE TO GO, YOU
COULDN'T GO TO CERTAIN
PERSONS BIRTHDAY PARTY
BECAUSE YOU WERE
BLACK. I WANT YOU TO
SING AT SOMETHING BUT I
CAN'T INVITE YOU
BECAUSE YOU ARE BLACK."
THOMPSON AND CHURCH
LEADERS AGREE, THIS
ISN'T THE END-ALL-BE-ALL.
THERE IS MORE WORK TO
BE DONE.
"THE FIRST PART OF
REPENTANCE IS TO SAY
WHAT YOU DID WRONG
AND THE SECOND PART IS
TO GET IT RIGHT. SO
THAT'S THE HARD WORK
THAT IS BEFORE US."
"WE'VE BEEN TALKING
SINCE THE 60'S, PLEASE
EXCUSE MY SKEPTICISM IN
THINKING
THINKING THAT TALKING IS REALLY GOING TO FIX ANYTHING. THERE HAS TO
BE EXECUTABLE ACTION
ACCOMPANYING THOSE
TALKS OR PRECIPITATED BY
THOSE TALKS TO RECTIFY
WHAT EVER IS WRONG."
THE STAINED GLASS IS
BEING RE-CRAFTED BACK
EAST BY AN EXPERT
ARTISAN. IT WILL THEN
HEAD BACK TO IDAHO
AND BE DISPLAYED AT THE
BLACK HISTORY MUSEUM.