Leaders at the church that George Washington attended decided that a plaque honoring the first president of the United States must be removed.
Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia will take down a memorial marking the pew where Washington sat with his family, saying it is not acceptable to all worshipers.
In a statement leaders of the church wrote, “The plaques in our sanctuary make some in our presence feel unsafe or unwelcome” a reference to the fact that Washington was a slaveholder.
The statement continued, “Some visitors and guests who worship with us choose not to return because they receive an unintended message from the prominent presence of the plaques.”
“Many in our congregation feel a strong need for the church to stand clearly on the side of ‘all are welcome- no exceptions.”
A memorial to Confederate General Robert E. Lee will also come down.
The nation’s first president and the commander of the Confederate army both played significant roles in the early history of Christ Church.
Washington was a regular worshiper. Lee and his family were also parishioners. Mary Custis Lee, Robert E. Lee’s wife, gifted the church $10,000 to help begin its endowment.
The decision comes in the wake of renewed controversy over whether statues honoring Civil War figures should be no longer honored. The debate broke out again over the summer after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia killed one and injured others.
President Trump expressed concern that the censoring of Confederate generals would lead to dishonoring Thomas Jefferson and George Washington as well.