Tending to the Wounds of Racism
Interview Series
Photo by Guilherme Stecanella
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.
This interview series was compiled and edited by Amelia Arth
Seeing the Other: Hope for a Hospitable Church from a Black Catholic
Interview with Karianna Frey
“In my church growing up music, particularly Gospel Music, was a huge part of the Worship Service. The Service would start with the Gospel Choir and the congregation raising their voices in praise and glory to our Lord, and you couldn’t help but feel the Spirit. I’m sure you have guessed by now that I am a convert to Catholicism.
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Being Consistent in Faith and Action; Racism isn’t a Political Issue
Interview with Chenele Shaw
“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.”
Working to Build A Table for All: A Personal Approach to Systemic Racism
Interview with Justina Kopp
“Racism has kept me feeling like a perpetual exception or outsider...I constantly felt like I wasn’t White enough to be considered White, or Black enough to be considered Black: both and neither. I struggled for a long time (and still do!) with understanding my identity as a half Kenyan, half German-American. It made it really hard for me to understand the role that racism played in my life because I didn’t know what exactly I was allowed to claim.”
Steeped in the Heart of Jesus: Finding Your Voice and Using your Gifts to Fight the Sin of Racism
Interview with Chika Anyanwu
“People have either asked me to stop talking about racism, passive-aggressively threatened me to “be careful,” and have told me that I’m becoming too liberal. Racism is a pro-life issue, not a partisan political one, and it requires many voices to shout, “Repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15)! It speaks to the purity of our hearts when we are able to hear or see instances of racism and instead of trying to justify it, we stand up against it.”