Many of us are familiar with the carving of saints and other important religious figures on the exteriors of cathedrals from other eras. Who would be the important figures to include today?
Actually the Washington National Cathedral has what is called its "human rights porch" where significant figures of the fight for equality are honoured. Two new sculptures, one of Rosa Parks (above) and the other of Mother Teresa will soon be added.
In December of 1955, at the end of a long and tiring day at work Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. This simple act of civil disobedience led to the Montgomery bus boycott and a chain reaction of events which changed American society.
What do you think of including someone such as Ms. Parks on the adornment of a cathedral? Who would you include if you were asked?
2 comments:
That's just brilliant - what a great idea.
For my money, in Washington, I'd add JFK, RFK, MLK & LBJ. The latter did more than any of his predecessors for civil liberties/racial poverty, but those accomplishments are always dwarfed by his legacy in Vietnam (which is a shame.)
This was a fascinating exercise. I am more inclined to go with international figures over US presidents with one exception.
I would vote for Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, Sally Struthers and finally Jimmy Carter.
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