Being Consistent in Faith and Action
Interview with Chenele Shaw
Part Two from our “Tending to the Wounds of Racism” Series
Photo by Chelsey Shortman
Series Introduction
In Gaudium et Spes, the Catholic Church underlines the necessity of social justice by pointing out the basis of our call to charity as social beings: “everyone must consider his every neighbor without exception as another self.” (GS 27).
This is founded upon our belief of the dignity of the human person: “Created in the image of the one God and equally endowed with rational souls, all men have the same nature and the same origin. Redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ, all are called to participate in the same divine beatitude: all therefore enjoy an equal dignity.” (CCC 1934).
From here we can stand firmly by the words of the Church that, “Every form of social or cultural discrimination in fundamental personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, color, social conditions, language, or religion must be curbed and eradicated as incompatible with God's design.” (GS 29).
In the midst of many movements and outcries, we have interviewed Black Catholic women about their experiences of racism and their hopes for the Church and our world. Through their words and stories, we pray that you find healing, understanding, and zeal for renewing our Church and society; that through your personal choice of charity, we might call out sin, call on virtue, and truly love each of our neighbors as another self.
Interview with Chenele
Chenele Shaw is a former youth minister and theology teacher and a current young adult trying to live her life for Christ, frequent her therapist, and eat all the cheese! She desires to be her authentic self and help others to as well. You can find her watching reality tv, going to confession, and updating her Spotify playlists. Follow her on Instagram @chenele_k. Swing by and say hey!
What inspired you to pursue a relationship with Jesus Christ?
My family and I were seasonal Catholics. We went to Mass on the major holidays and days required for my Catholic elementary school. So, being Catholic was never a priority for me. The summer before my junior year of high school I was kicked out of my high school. I had a 0.5 GPA and no motivation. I was grounded for the entire year and the only thing I was allowed to go to was youth group! I was hesitant at first, but willingly went so I could get out of my house. After attending my first retreat, I continued to go to youth group and fell in love with the people and then eventually, Jesus! I am so grateful for God giving me that community during such a challenging time.
How has racism been prevalent in your life? How has it affected you and your family?
I have experienced many micro-aggressions growing up. Nothing was ever too obvious but small things built up and became a very painful wound. I grew up in a Caribbean-American family and dealt with my peers making jokes about our food, accents, and other aspects of our culture. As a child this caused me to distance myself from my Caribbean culture and things in my family that weren’t similar to my White friends. This self-distancing escalated when I went to a predominantly White college. I grew out of this behavior when I graduated college, became more secure in myself and my heritage, and became friends with other people of color in the Church.
What’s something you wish Catholic women knew about racism already that they may not know currently?
Racism is a pro-life issue and a sin. We should have the same energy that we put into protecting Black and Brown pre-born babies as we do Black and Brown adults. We recognize that Black and Brown people are specifically targeted by the abortion industry and we fight for that, and that’s great, but we are called to be consistent. A consistent life ethic means that we should have a particular investment in the lives of our brothers and sisters at every stage from pre-born to elderly regardless of economic, social, political, or religious status. It’s important that we keep this in mind and remind ourselves of our call to consistency. Also, unfortunately, racism is often equated to a “liberal issue”, but liberal and conservative should not be applied within the realm of theology. In theology, we can be orthodox, heterodox, or heretical. Defending life with a consistent life ethic is as orthodox as it gets. Black lives shouldn't be politicized, but treated firstly as lives, lives that we are called to acknowledge and respect because of their God-given dignity.
How has your faith helped you work through your experiences of racism? What advice would you give to young Catholic women of color who have been wounded by the sin of racism?
The power of a community of faith of women of color has given me so much hope. Before quarantine, I had known that Black Catholics existed, but I had only met a few in my lifetime. I have found so much solace in other Black and Brown women that have had similar experiences as me in the Church. This solidarity has helped me to continue to be strong in my faith and lean into the heart of Jesus throughout these challenging times.
My advice to other women of color would be to surround yourself with community and lean into the heart of Jesus. He loves you for who you are and all of the gifts and attributes that are specific to you.
How do you think non-Black Catholics can help create a welcoming environment for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color)? Do you have an experience of when you felt welcome in a community of non-black people? What did that look like?
Including and integrating various cultural practices, saints, art etc. into the life of the Church and personal life.
Practicing self-examination and confrontation of biases in your life, your friends, and family.
Self-education on the history of racism and ways that it exists today.
Listening to the experiences of BIPOC not to respond but to receive.
What is your hope for the future of the Church?
My hope for the future of the Church is that we can love one another with a consistent life ethic. My hope is that we can embrace the beauty of the intentional uniqueness of persons.
This interview was compiled and edited by Amelia Arth.