On Sunday, Alexandria’s Alfred Street Baptist Church announced it would be cutting ties to the Kennedy Center after President Trump purged the arts center’s board.
Alfred Street Baptist Church joins a list of events and shows canceling on the venue. The church formerly hosted an annual Christmas performance at the Kennedy Center.
In a message shared on Facebook, Alfred Street Baptist Church said:
After prayerful consideration, deliberation and discerning, the Alfred Street Baptist Church, one of the oldest and largest African American Baptist Churches in the nation, has made the difficult decision to cancel hosting its annual Christmas performance at the Kennedy Center.
We believe that the new leadership’s opposition to the Kennedy Center’s long-standing tradition of honoring artistic expression across all backgrounds is misaligned with our unwavering commission to proclaim and practice the transformative and redemptive love of Jesus, to pursue justice, to promote equality, to embrace the gift of diversity, and to care for all of creation.
We are actively exploring other venues where we can continue to share our witness of the birth of Jesus Christ in the excellence and prophetic tradition of the Black Church.
