I am amazed at how many details of the Lee Chapel I have
overlooked in our visits there for class meetings and honor sessions.
Today’s visit placed a special emphasis on the chapel’s
history and transition from a ‘shrine to the South’ to the epicenter of
W&L’s campus, where students—the primary audience—commune in a special way
with each other as well as Lee’s rich legacy of honor and service.
I especially enjoyed learning about how the placards on the
wall (which I failed to notice in previous visits) commemorate the lives and
deaths of W&L students and alumnae. This substantiates the role of Lee
Chapel as a sacred space for the community and an ever-changing memorial that
reflects the Washington and Lee narrative.
I learned today that the statue of Lee does not portray the
general in death, as I have always presumed. Instead, this is a representation
of Lee peacefully asleep, likely among his fellow soldiers. This insight
changes my perception of the statue from a clear depiction of death to a more
benevolent portrayal of Lee at rest and content.
It was interesting to hear Lucy discuss the controversy
surrounding the recent removal of Confederate battle flags from the chapel. Her
responses call attention to the thin line that the chapel staff must walk, as
they seek to balance the voice of progress from the University with the call
for memorialization of the Confederacy that motivates many outside visitors. Given
my interest in public relations (specifically crisis communications), I am excited
to learn more about the staff’s response to the backlash they faced from the
flag debate.
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