A Lenten Anti-Racism Program

“All Are Welcome”

A Lenten Anti-Racism Program For Parishes

Adapted from “Called To Be Neighbor” An Anti-Racism Program developed by Bellarmine Dismantling Racism Team, Cincinnati, Ohio “All Are Welcome”

This document contains the planning outline and various resources used by the team to develop the confronting racism program, “Dwell In My Love”. The program includes two evenings with presentations by speakers, two evenings of panel discussions with people of color, and one evening with a video presentation and follow-up discussion.

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[All Are Welcome] Page 1 FREQUENCY AND LENGTH:  Once a week for five consecutive weeks; 1 ½ to 2 hours per session.

LOCATION and SETTING:  Choose a central and welcoming place/space  Depending on the week in the series, you will need a speaker’s podium, table/chairs for 3 or 4 panelists, microphones, video projector or laptop computer, and TV/movie screen  Display table for books and articles, etc…  Align participant chairs in a semi-circle  Provide an environment where open and honest conversation can occur

NOTICES:  Create a series flyer for bulletin attachment, include a series reminder each week in the parish bulletin, share flyer with other parishes and interested groups, etc…

POTENTIAL EXPENSES:  Speaker Honorariums  Panelists’ Token of Appreciation  Rental Fee  Mailings/Copying Materials  Video Purchase or Rental  Refreshments

SPEAKERS, PANELISTS and PANEL DISCUSSION FACILITATORS:  Speakers, Moderators, Panelists  2 Main Topic Speakers  2 Panel Moderators  3-4 African American/White/Latino Catholic Panelists  Pastor or Planning Committee Member

 Brainstorm, discuss and create a list of possible speakers that you know or with whom you are familiar. It would be easiest/most relevant to draw from people in the local community. Think beyond those who are typically involved in church or social justice issues. Members of the business community involved in diversity work may make good speakers. You may also want to consider including a well known speaker to kick off your series. Decide upon the main speakers and the specific topic themes.

 The moderator for each of the panel discussions should be chosen before the panelists as this is a very important decision. This person does not necessarily have to be a person of color, but should have some experience in the topic area so they can speak to it with sensitivity and respect for the panel members. The questions for the panel discussions are provided in the CONTENT section below.

 Brainstorm, discuss and create a list of possible panelists that you know or with whom you are familiar. It would be most relevant to draw from people in the local community.

[All Are Welcome] Page 2  Recognize that the panelists are being invited to share their stories and asked to talk about their identity, so it’s most important they feel comfortable. They are not being judge, but instead are asked to offer their stories as a way to teach.  The panelists’ invitations will include the questions they will be asked during the panel discussion.  The panelists will be provided with the panel moderator’s name, profile and background. Inform the panelists that the moderator will contact them prior to the event session to preview the questions and to request a short personal bio.  You may want to change the structure of these panels to reflect different diversity issues in your community. o Do you want the panels to speak to racial, social, gender identities? o Is this going to be an inter-generational discussion?  Specific to the Latino panelists:  Be aware of and sensitive to immigration status. Some may decide not to talk about immigration or their families for fear of deportation. A good panel moderator can help to gauge the parameters of the discussion.  Will translators be needed in order to facilitate the dialogue?  Are bilingual flyers or other documentation needed?

CONTENT:

Provide attendees a 2-sided handout containing the Prayer to Dismantle Racism, and Ten Things Everyone Should Know about Race (included). The prayer is used at the beginning of each session. Attendees are asked to bring the card with them each week.

Week 1 – Series Opening Talk: “All Are Welcome: Confronting Racism”

Find a local speaker who can connect Scripture and Catholic Social Teaching related to race and the principles of solidarity and one human family. The story of the Good Samaritan was a basis of our discussion but there are others. This initial presentation should be viewed as foundational to the rest of the series.

The opening talk of the Lenten Series “All Are Welcome: Confronting Racism: should feature Scripture and Catholic Social Teaching related to race and the principles of solidarity and one human family. During the presentation the speaker will share some personal experiences of racism both growing up and as an adult. Following the presentation, the speaker responds to questions from the audience and facilitates audience response.

Week 2 – First Panel Discussion: “All Are Welcome: The Experience of Latino Catholics”

Invite a moderator/facilitator and 3 or 4 local Latino Catholics to participate in a moderated panel discussion on how racism, both inside and outside the Catholic Church, has affected their life. Before the actual panel discussion, each panelist should be given a list of questions to think

[All Are Welcome] Page 3 about. The facilitator should contact each panelist to get more panelist background information and discuss the proposed questions.

 What was it like growing up Catholic?  Were there any special groups you belonged to in schools/church?  What is your cultural background?  Were there any icons and/or rituals that were special to you and your family? Or in your community?  Did you experience racism in church/society?  Were there then, or are there now, times when you do not feel welcome in church?  From your perspective, do you feel connected to the larger white, Catholic Community?

Week 3 – Second Panel Discussion: “All Are Welcome: The Experience of Black Catholics”

Invite a moderator/facilitator and 3 or 4 local Black Catholics to participate in a moderated panel discussion on how racism, both inside and outside the Catholic Church, has affected their life. Before the actual panel discussion, each panelist should be given a list of questions to think about. The facilitator should contact each panelist to get more panelist background information and discuss the proposed questions.

 What was it like growing up Black and Catholic?  Were there any special groups you belonged to in schools/church?  What is your cultural background?  Were there any icons and/or rituals that were special to you and your family? Or in your community?  Did you experience racism in church/society?  Were there then, or are there now, times when you do not feel welcome in church?  From your perspective, do you feel connected to the larger white, Catholic Community?

Week 4 – Presentation and Discussion on White Privilege: “All Are Welcome: Exploring White Privilege and Institutional Racism”

Find a speaker who can explain and address “White Privilege”. In particular, Peggy McIntosh’s article, “White Privilege, Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”, is most insightful. We need to address white privilege in our series but in a non-confrontational manner. Engage a white facilitator who is a professional anti-racist diversity trainer. The discussion is enhanced if led by a white person who can talk about their own experiences and understanding of white privilege.

Week 5 – Viewing of Video and Discussion: “All Are Welcome: The House We Live In”

A sub-committee should preview four or five different films to discern and decide upon the film that will best fit our “All Are Welcome” series topic.

[All Are Welcome] Page 4 Traces of the Trade: a POV (Point of View ) film that chronicles the journey of ten present-day members of a prominent New England family in the 1990s. This family discovered that their ancestors had been slave traders. These ten relatives retraced the journey their ancestors had made with kidnapped slaves from the coast of Rhode Island to the coast of West Africa to Cuba.

The Color of Fear: a discussion among men of several races and creeds concerning the topic of race.

Race – The Power of an Illusion (consists of three one-hour episodes): The Difference Between Us: a film which details via science and DNA tests that we Humans are genetically similar despite our differences in skin color The Story We Tell: a film of the history of race relations in the United States The House We Live In: a film of 20th century American race relations that centers mostly on federal housing decisions that were made for GIs who came home from World War II

All five films have important content and positive qualities to consider.

After showing the video, provide an opportunity for dialogue about how institutions and culture have given race meaning and power in the U.S.

Program Evaluation Distribute an evaluation form at the end of each session. Formulate your questionnaire(s) based on your speakers, facilitators, panelists, topics, location, etc… This is also a good opportunity to gather information about future topics and programs that may be of interest to your group.

CONCLUSION: The Archdiocese of Chicago’s Anti-racism Team hopes this program guide will be a useful planning resource for your Faith Community’s journey toward inclusion, justice, and dismantling racism. This document may be copied and used freely without permission.

For more information, please contact The Office For Racial Justice – 312-534-3886.

Dwell in My Love Prayer

Good and gracious God we offer this prayer today in Love that unites us to you and to one another. We pray that nourished by your Word and by your

[All Are Welcome] Page 5 Spirit, we may grow ever stronger in faith as we strive for the coming of your kingdom. We stand at the crossroads committed to the ongoing faith- centered struggle to dismantle racism and to build just and anti-racist relationships with our sisters and brothers, and within our church and institutions as we strive to build a society that dwells together in God’s unconditional and universal Love.

Amen.

Anti-Racism Team, Archdiocese of Chicago

1. Race is a modern idea. Ancient societies, like the Greeks, did not divide people according to physical distinctions, but according to religion, status, class, even language. The English language didn’t even have the word ‘race’ until it turns up in 1508 in a poem by William Dunbar referring to a line of kings.

2. Race has no genetic basis. Not one characteristic, trait or even one gene distinguishes all the members of one so-called race from all the members of another so-called rce.

[All Are Welcome] Page 6 3. Human subspecies don’t exist. Unlike many animals, modern humans simply haven’t been around long enough or isolated enough to evolve into separate subspecies or races. Despite surface appearances, we are one of the most similar of all species.

4. Skin color really is only skin deep. Most traits are inherited independently from one another. The genes influencing skin color have nothing to do with the genes influencing hair form, eye shape, blood type, musical talent, athletic ability or forms of intelligence. Knowing someone’s skin color doesn’t necessarily tell you anything else about him or her.

5. Most variation is within, not between, “races.” Of the small amount of total human variation, 85% exists within any local population, be they Italians, Kurds, Koreans or Cherokees. About 94% can be found within any continent. That means two random Koreans may be as genetically different as a Korean and an Italian.

6. Slavery predates race. Throughout much of human history, societies have enslaved others often as a result of conquest or war, even debt, but not because of physical characteristics or a belief in natural inferiority. Due to a unique set of historical circumstances, ours was the first slave system where all the slaves shared similar physical characteristics.

7. Race and freedom evolved together. The U.S. was founded on the radical new principle that “All men are created equal.” But our early economy was based largely on slavery. How could this anomaly be rationalized? The new idea of race helped explain why some people could be denied the rights and freedom that others took for granted.

8. Race justified social inequalities as natural. As the race idea evolved, white superiority became “common sense” in America. It justified not only slavery but also the extermination of Indians, exclusion of Asian immigrants, and the taking of Mexican lands by a nation that professed a belief in democracy. Racial practices were institutionalized within American government, laws, and society.

9. Race isn’t biological, but racism is still real. Race is a powerful social idea that gives people different access to opportunities and resources. Our government and social institutions have created advantages that disproportionately channel wealth, power, and resources to white people. This affects everyone, whether we are aware of it or not.

10. Colorblindness will not end racism. Pretending race doesn’t exist is not the same as creating equality. Race is more than stereotypes and individual prejudice. To combat racism, we need to identify and remedy social policies and institutional practices that advantage some groups at the expense of others. Pursuing Racial Justice

US Catholic Bishops’ Pastoral Letter on Racism:

“Brothers and Sisters to Us” (1979) www.usccb.org/saac/bishopspastoral.shtml

25th Anniversary Resources on “Brothers and Sisters to Us” (2004)

[All Are Welcome] Page 7 www.usccb.org/saac/25thperry.shtml www.usccb.org/saac/25thanniv.shtml

Research Report Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of “Brothers and Sisters To Us” (Implementation Assessment – Principal Findings & Recommendations) www.usccb.org/saac/ExecutiveSummary-GrayScaleFinal.pdf

Catholic Diocesan Resources:

Archdiocese of Chicago – Office For Racial Justice Cardinal George’s Pastoral Letter on Racism:Dwell In My Love www.dwellinmylove.org

Archdiocese of Cincinnati – Office of African American Catholic Ministries (select “Offices of Archdioc.”/”African-Amer. Ministries”) www.catholiccincinnati.org

Article: “Taking Down Our Harps – Black Catholics in the United States” (search ‘Exact Phrase’… “Taking Down Our Harps”) www.catholiccincinnati.org

Diocese of Gary, Indiana – Bishop Dale Melczek’s Pastoral on Sin of Racism Office of African-American Ministry: www.dcgary.org/office-african.htm “Created in God’s Image” document: www.dcgary.org/pdf/Created -In-Gods-Image.pdf “Created in God’s Image” study guide: www.dcgary.org/pdf/Gods-Image-Study- Guide.pdf

Catholic Groups Working Against Racism:

Catholic Charities USA – Report on “Poverty and Racism: Overlapping Threats…” www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/NetCommunity/Document.Doc?id=614 www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=950&srcid=193

Black Catholic Information Mall – www.bcimall.org

Institute for Recovery from Racism/Racial Sobriety - www.racialsobriety.org Pursuing Racial Justice

Children’s Stories on Diversity & Race:

“Black Like Kyra, White Like Me”, Judith Vigna. “God’s Dream”, Archbishop Desmond Tutu & Douglas Carlton Abrams. In narthex) “Swimmy”, Leo Lionni. (A little black fish among red fish finds how to protect them all!)

[All Are Welcome] Page 8 :The Colors of Us”, Karen Katz. “Whoever You Are”, Leslie Staub

Books: Barndt, Joseph. Understanding and Dismantling Racism: The 21 st Century Challenge… Boyd, Herb, Editor. Race & Resistance: African Americans in the 21 st Century Cassidy, Laurie M. and Mikulich, Alex. Editors. Interrupting White Privilege: Catholic Theologians Break the Silence. Orbis, 2007 Cone, James. Malcolm and Martin. Orbis Books Kivel, Paul. Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice New Society Publisher, 2002 Massingale, Bryan N. Racial Justice in the Catholic Church. Orbis Morrison, Tony. The Bluest Eyes Nothwehr, Dawn M. That They May Be ONE, Catholic Social Teaching on Racism, Tribalism, and Xenophobia Reiff, David. “Los Angeles Is the Capital of the Third World”. Simon & Schuster, 1991 West, Cornell. Race Matters Williams, Clarence E. Racial Sobriety: A Journey from hurts to healing. 2002 Wise, Tim. “Color-Blind: The Rise of Post Racial Politics and the Retreat from Racial Equity.” City Lights Books, 2010.

Films/Videos: “Freedom on My Mind” (documentary on Mississippi voter registration struggles, 1961-64) “Long Walk Home: featuring Sissy Spacek and Whoopi Goldberg) “Malcolm X” (Spike Lee film, featuring Denzel Washington) “Mr. & Mrs. Loving” (Racially mixed couple who took case to Supreme Court) “Places in the Heart” featuring Sally Fields, Danny Glover, John Malkovich) “Power of One” powerful story of racial unity among youth amidst South African apartheid) “Rosewood” (based on historical event. Children who survived “recently” got compensated) “The War” (features Kevin Costner, whose daughter befriends a new African-American student) “To Kill a Mockingbird” (based on Pulitzer Prize novel, widely read book on race in America) “Traces of the Trade” (New England family member discovers family history in slave trade) “White Privilege 101” (video by Eddie Moore Jr.) – www.uccs.edu/-wpc/wp101.htm

Pursuing Racial Justice

Local Speakers:

[All Are Welcome] Page 9 Fr. Michael L. Pfleger [email protected] Andrew Lyke [email protected] Adrienne Curry [email protected] Lois Prebil, osf [email protected] Eileen Hogan Heineman [email protected] Anita Baird, DHM [email protected] Alicia Juarez-Garcia [email protected] Michael Rabbitt [email protected]

Additional Anti-Racism Resources (websites, online resources, etc.):

Facing History & Ourselves – www.facinghistory.org/campus/reslib.nsf

** Peggy McIntosh, article: “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” www.lamission.edu/sociology/mekelburg/SOC2%5CWhite_Privilege_handout.pdf

** Heidi Schlumpf, article: “Owning Unearned White Privilege” www.ncronline.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2006b/052606/052606a.php

“The Color of Fear: (1994 documentary) www.stirfryseminars.com/pages/coloroffear.htm (with links to following parts 2 and 3) “The Color of Fear” Study Guide – www.speakoutnow.org/article.php?id=172

Sojourner’s Discussion Guide: “Christians and Racial Justice” – www.sojo.net (click on Resources, then Racism; download guide with permission to make 10 copies for $9.95)

Crossroads Ministry. [email protected]

** recommended articles Resources about Racism

Books

Nickels, Marilyn. Black Catholic Protest and the Federated Colored Catholics: 1917-1933. Three Perspectives on Racial Justice. New York: Garland, 1988

[All Are Welcome] Page 10 Lucas, Lawrence. Black Priest/White Church: Catholics and Racism. New York: Random Ho House, 1970.

LaFarge, Reverend John. The Catholic Viewpoint on Race Relations. Garden City, NY: Hanover House, 1956.

Todd David Whitmore and Maura Ryan, 3ds. Massingale, Bryan N. “Ethical Reflection Upon Environmental Racism in the Light of Catholic Social Teaching.” The Challenge of Global Stewardship: Roman Catholic Response. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1997.

Ochs, Stephen J. Desegregating the Altar: The Josephites and the Struggle for Black Priests 1871-1960. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1970.

Barndt, Joseph. Dismantling Racism: The Continuing Challenge to White America. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1991.

Davis, Susan E. and Hennessee, Sr. Paul Teresa. Ending Racism in the Church. United Church of Christ Press, 1998.

Park, Andrew Sung. From Hurt to Healing: A Theology of the Wounded. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2004.

Cassidy, Laurie M. and Alex Mikulich, eds. Interrupting White Privilege: Catholic Theologians Break the Silence. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2007.

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself. Washington, D.C.: 2000.

McGreevey, John T. Parish Boundaries: The Catholic Encounter with Race in the Twentieth Centruy Urban North. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1996.

Park, Andrew Sung. Racial Conflict and Healing: An Asian-American Theological Perspective Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1996.

Massingale, Bryan N. Racial Justice and the Catholic Church. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2010.

Williams, Reverend Clarence. Racial Sobriety: Becoming the change you want to see. Detroit: Institute for Recovery from Racisms and the Archdiocese of Detroit, 2008. Resources about Racism

Books

Williams, Reverend Clarence. Recovery From Everyday Racisms. Debroit: Institute for Recovery from Racisms and the Archdiocese of Detroit. 1999.

[All Are Welcome] Page 11 Collum, Danny Duncan. Rising to Common Ground: Oversoming America’s Color Lines. Louisville: JustFaith Inc., 2006.

Osborne, William A. Segregated Covenant: Race Relations and American Catholics. New York Herder & Herder, 1967.

McMahon, Eileen. “What Parish Are You From?”: A Chicago Irish Community and Race Relations. Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 1993.

Pastoral Letters

“Brothers and Sisters to Us.” U.S. Bishops Pastoral Letter on Racism in Our Day Washington, D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, 1979

“Dwell In My Love: A Pastoral Letter on Racism” Francis Cardinal Georg, O.M.I. Archdiocese of Chicago, April 4, 2001

“For the Love of One Another: A Special Message on the Occasion of the Tenth Anniversary Of Brothers and Sisters to Us” Washington, D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, 1989

“In God’s Image: Pastoral Letter on Racism” Most Reverend Harry J. Flynn The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, September 12, 2003

“What We Have Seen and Heard: A Pastoral Letter on Evangelization From the Black Bishops Of the United States” Cincinnati, OH: St. Anthony Messenger Press, 1984

Articles

“A Frank Challenge to the Catholic Church on Racism.”: The Tablet 237 (July 30, 2983) 12-13.

“All You Nations Come: A Dialogue with Bishop Joseph Perry.: Liturgy 90, Liturgical Training Publications, Archdiocese of Chicago (April 1999).

Articles

“The American Catholic Bishops and Racism, November 14, 1958.: Documents of American Catholic History. Vol. 2. 646-52.

Williams, Reverend Clarence. “Beyond Multiculturalism: Engaging Pluricultural Ministry.:

[All Are Welcome] Page 12 Church Summer 2008: 1-7.

Francis, Most Reverend Joseph A. “Catholic Social Teaching and Minorities: [Church Has a Dismal Record of Identifying and Repudiating Racism].” Concilium 5 (1991). 99-107

Mitchell, Jr., Reavis. “Discrimination and Racism in God’s House: The Case of The African- Americans and the Catholic Church in Nashville, Tennessee.” In God, Race, Myth and Power. (1991) 85-93.

Chavez, Arturo. “Diversity: Barriers Blown Away.: Church Summer 2008: 8-10.

“The Holy See and American Black Catholics: A Forgotten Chapter in the History of the American Church.: U.S. Catholic Historian 7 Spring/Summer 1988: 201-14.

Massingale, Bryan N. “James Cone and Recent Catholic Episcopal Teaching on Racism.” Theological Studies 61 (2000) 700-30.

A Catholic Charities USA Poverty in America Issue Brief. “Poverty and Racism: Overlapping Threats to the Common Good” January 15, 2008.

Braxton, Edward. “Where is the Back Church on Racism: A Roman Catholic Perspective.” Ecumenical Trends. 16 November 1987) 177-80.

Zielinski, Martin. “Working For Interracial Justice: The Catholic Interracial Council of New York, 1934-1964.” U.S. Cathokic Historian 7 (1988) 233-260.

Video

Many Faces in God’s House This colorful and inspiring video leads viewers on a journey of discovery to the many hidden riches present within our culturally diverse communities

Workshop: “What Does It Mean to be Catholic and Indigenous?” By Marcus Briggs-Cloud

Statements

A time for Remembering, Reconciling, and Recommitting Ourselves as a People Statement of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops on Native Americans November 1991. Statements

The Church and Racism: Towards a More Fraternal Society Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace November 3, 1988.

[All Are Welcome] Page 13 Contributions to World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.

Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace Durban, 31 August – 7 September 2001

Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity A Statement of the U.S. Catholic Bishops November 15, 2000

We Walk by Faith and Not by Sight A Research Report Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of Brothers and Sisters to Us Executive Summary 2004

Educational Resources

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Call to Family, Community, and Participation. Shaping the Tradition Shaping the Future Series Book II (Pamphlet) Washington, D.C.: Catholic Campaign for Human Development, 1996.

Helps small groups explore topics such as “values taught in families,” the relationship of the family to the broader community, “what makes for a healthy community,: and “the effects of racism and discrimination on our families.”

Man6y Faces in God’s House (Parish Guide): A Catholic Vision for the Third Millennium

This bilingual parish guide is an essential tool for promoting multicultural dialogue among parish members, to help everyone grow together in unity-and come to a deeper understanding of the Church’s mission.

Additional Resources http://www.vatican.va/phome_en.htm http://www.usccb.org/saac/bblgrphy.pdf http://www.usccb.org/campus/teaching-foundation-docs.shtml http://www.usccbpublishing.org/

Additional Resources

[All Are Welcome] Page 14 http://www.tekconf.org/resource_materials.html http://www.archchicago.org/cardinal/dwellinmylove.pdf http://www.archspm.org/reference/pastoral-letters-detail.php?intResourceID=158

Compiled by: Archdiocese of Cincinnati – Office of African American Catholic Ministries – 01/2011

Why Race Still Matters

[All Are Welcome] Page 15 By Gerald J. Beyer Assistant Professor at Saint Joseph’s University-Philadelphia, Pa.

The election of the first African-American president undoubtedly represents a milestone along the road to Martin Luther King Jr.'s "beloved community.” Yet we must not be tempted to think that racism and discrimination no longer preclude many people from full participation in American society.

Some pundits are hastily proclaiming that President Barack Obama's victory proves that we are a "post-racial” nation, one in which race no longer matters. The election results are encouraging. More whites, including more young white voters and more poor white voters, voted for Barack Obama in 2008 than voted for John Kerry in 2004. But John McCain, the G.O.P. nominee, garnered 55 percent of the vote among all whites, and some whites openly declared they would not vote for a black candidate. The election of the first black president, although a cause for joy, did not dismantle racism in one fell swoop. Even if the scope of the problem has diminished, no one should deny that our nation has yet to confront fully its legacy of racism.

The Catholic Response Catholics are not immune from the need to address racism in the United States. Barack Obama's thoughtful, carefully nuanced speech delivered in Philadelphia on March 18, 2008, should have sparked long-overdue discussions on race in Roman Catholic parishes, schools, institutions and families across Amer ica. Yet this did not happen widely, and most parishes still do not recognize racism for the threat that it is to the unity of the people of God. Instead of a meaningful conversation about race among Catholics in the final months of the campaign, disheartening reports were published in the media about Catholics who would not vote for any black presidential candidate. To be clear, Catholics of good conscience could certainly find legitimate reasons not to vote for Obama. As Bishop Blase Cupich prophetically declared in these pages, however, "to allow racism to reign in our hearts and to determine our choice in this solemn moment for our nation is to cooperate with one of the great evils that has afflicted our society” (Am., 10/27/08). In recent decades the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, organizations like Catholic Charities USA and contemporary Roman Catholic theologians have produced important works on racism. Barack Obama's assessment of race and American life and his proposals to remedy its problems strikingly resemble those of the bishops and other Catholic thinkers. Given this convergence, Catholics should heed President Obama's call to overcome our nation's painful past and its persistent racism and discrimination.

The Evil of Racism: The Status Quo Barack Obama's description of the state of affairs in the United States echoes what the U.S. bishops stated in their pastoral letter Brothers and Sisters to Us (1979) and reiterated in a research report on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of that letter. President Obama recognizes that much progress has been made over the last several decades. He believes that the uniqueness and greatness of the United States has allowed Americans of African descent like himself to succeed. Yet he maintains that injustices against African-Americans and other minorities perdure and that much work remains to be done to make the American dream possible for all Americans. In Obama's view, the educational achievement gap between black and white students stems from the inferior schools that many African-Americans were and still are forced to attend. The wealth and income Reprinted from America [May 18, 2009] with permission of America Press, Inc., 2009. All rights reserved. For subscription information, call 1-800-627-9533 or visit www.americamagazine.org gap between blacks and whites can be attributed to the numerous forms of discrimination that blacks historically experienced, like lack of access to loans and mortgages for African-American business owners and families and systemic exclusion from employment and unions.

Today, many African-Americans lack economic opportunities, which places a strain on their families and communities. Many black communities are without basic services and amenities like parks and police

[All Are Welcome] Page 16 protection that most middle-class Americans take for granted. Obama also contends that the racially charged events in Jena, La., in 2008 revealed "glaring inequalities in our justice system,” including unfairly harsh penalties for first-time nonviolent offenders. Obama implied in a speech at Howard University in 2007 that these unjust sentences are disproportionately meted out to minorities. He also decried racial profiling and the attempt by the Justice Department under George W. Bush to eliminate affirmative action programs at American institutions of higher learning. Mr. Obama concluded that "profound institutional barriers” preclude many Americans from among all races from having equal access to good schools, productive jobs and health care.

The U.S. Catholic bishops’ assessment is similar. In 1979 the bishops wrote that racism is an evil that "endures in our society and in our church.” They called for a number of measures to be taken within the church and more broadly in American society to combat racism. They urged all Catholics, for example, to reflect on their personal racial biases and to do everything in their power to eliminate this "radical evil” that generates unjust and oppressive social structures.

Unfortunately, the bishops’ own update and report in 2004 revealed that racism is still not widely discussed in the church. Only 36 percent of Roman Catholics in the United States reported that they had heard a homily that addressed racism, and only 18 percent of bishops have issued statements in their dioceses concerning racism. The report also found white Catholics more opposed to public policies designed to attenuate racial inequality than they were in the past. The report expressed concern that while blacks were increasingly represented in leadership positions within the church, more effort had to be made to boost minority representation among staff at all levels of church ministries. This remains a particularly urgent task, given that many of the church's social ministries serve groups made up predominantly of minorities.

In pastoral letters and statements, some individual bishops have unequivocally condemned the sin of racism. In 1998, for example, Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua of Philadelphia published a pastoral letter, Healing Racism through Faith and Truth, in which he referred to racism as an "intrinsic evil” that impedes one's ability to love God, since one cannot love God if one does not love all of God's children. The cardinal leveled a stinging critique: "Our American history from its inception, tragically, has been influenced by the historical circumstance that an exception was made. The flawed concept that "all men except’ was adopted in practice. Some among us were not to be considered equal. A distinction based on race was set in motion in American life. This distinction in many and varied guises has remained a sin deeply rooted in American life.”

Cardinal Francis George of Chicago has described the entrenched forms of racism that characterize contemporary American life. In his 2001 pastoral letter Dwell in My Love, he addresses primarily four types. Spatial racism is the creation of "patterns of metropolitan development” by whites through which they cordon themselves off in affluent suburbs or gentrified urban areas far removed from blighted neighborhoods where mostly poor African-Americans and other minorities reside. Institutional racism manifests itself in institutions created by whites it privileges a white Anglo-American cultural and racial perspective and "ignores the contributions of other peoples and cultures.”

Like Barack Obama, Cardinal George and his brother bishops are concerned that minorities "are often treated more harshly than other citizens in their encounters with the criminal justice system.” The dearth of minority leaders and the devaluation of their cultures in American institutions often give rise to the third type of Reprinted from America [May 18, 2009] with permission of America Press, Inc., 2009. All rights reserved. For subscription information, call 1-800-627-9533 or visit www.americamagazine.org contemporary racism, according to George: internalized racism. This occurs when members of minority groups adopt the negative stereotypes about themselves that have been perpetuated by the majority. Finally, individual racism is a conscious, personal bias that infects the hearts of people who perpetuate racist attitudes through racial slurs, hate crimes and other more subtle means.

[All Are Welcome] Page 17 Barack Obama's words and the bishops’ teaching on the persistence of racism in the United States largely mirror one another, and their analyses are confirmed by statistics. Catholic Charities USA recently released a study titled Poverty and Racism: Overlapping Threats to the Common Good, which contends that Hurricane Katrina unveiled the too-frequently disguised poor in the United States, who remain largely unnoticed as a result of racism.

The catastrophe also spotlighted the historic injustices that "advance the welfare of white Americans and impede the opportunities of persons of color,” including institutionalized slavery, the "separate but equal doctrine,” which created inferior educational institutions, the legal exclusion of African-Americans from unions and "redlining.” Redlining, in which the Federal Housing Administration engaged during the 1940s and 1950s, granted 98 percent of mortgage loans to whites, denying blacks one of the primary means of generating wealth in this country.

These and other racial injustices led to the "state-sanctioned unjust impoverishment” of blacks and other minorities, which continues. Today 33 percent of African-American children live in poverty, 28 percent of Latino children and 27 percent of Native American children by contrast, 10 percent of white children live in poverty. The most extreme poverty afflicts geographic areas populated mainly by minorities. White families possess on average 10 times more wealth than do families of color. This "wealth gap” has grown since 1998, with white families enjoying a 20 percent boost in their net worth, while African-American families have seen their wealth decrease. This stems in part from inequalities in the workplace, where white males occupy more than 90 percent of executive corporate positions. As the Catholic ethicist Barbara Hilkert Andolsen has noted, unemployment rates rose among blacks during the economic recovery from 2001 to 2005-some of the rise attributable to overt racism. Studies show that job candidates with "names that sounded black, such as Lakisha Washington or Jamal Jones” are 50 percent less likely to be given a job interview than are white candidates with similar credentials.

Dismantling Racism, Building the Kingdom Although President Obama has lamented the failure of Americans to eradicate many of the injustices African- Americans still face in the United States, he distanced himself from his pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, with what is called in Christian theology a "strong” doctrine of grace. In his speech in Philadelphia, Obama maintained that Rev. Wright had erred in claiming that racism is endemic to the United States in the sense that the incorrigibility of white oppressors will continue to breed racial oppression because they and the system they dominate cannot change. In theological terms, this is tantamount to stating that God's grace cannot overcome the propensity of white oppressors to keep their black brothers and sisters down.

In Obama's view, however, some of the shackles of prejudice have already been broken. Theologically, he appears to see God's grace already at work in the conversion of many whites and in the gradual improvement of society. Obama maintains the hope that racism will eventually be purged from America. Anyone who reads his speeches or books, however, understands that Obama knows this will be an arduous task. The president has proposed measures to move us toward this goal. Among them are more vigorous enforcement of civil rights by the Department of Justice, rectifying inequities caused by pay discrimination, ensuring that children of minorities and the poor have good educational opportunities, the elimination of racial disparities in the judicial system and fair access to credit for minorities.

Reprinted from America [May 18, 2009] with permission of America Press, Inc., 2009. All rights reserved. For subscription information, call 1-800-627-9533 or visit www.americamagazine.org Obama's hopeful stance on racism resembles the best thinking in Catholic theology on the powerful presence of sin in the world and the ability of God's grace to overcome it through the action of the Holy Spirit, working in and through God's children. This teaching is beautifully expressed in the "Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World” (Gaudium et Spes). Here the bishops of the Second Vatican Council describe human activity infected by sin but "purified and perfected by the power of Christ's Cross and Resurrection.”

[All Are Welcome] Page 18 They contend that creating a more just and peaceful society contributes to the building of the kingdom of God. In other words, with the aid of God's grace, "we shall overcome.”

The U.S. bishops also translate this Catholic optimism into specific policies, resembling those of Obama. Cardinal George, for example, urged fair access to decent housing and credit for minorities, good schools, "equal pay and employment for women and minorities,” an equitable justice system and "voting for public officials committed to racial and systemic justice.” And Archbishop Harry Flynn of St. Paul and Minneapolis argued in 2003 that we can and must address the many "root causes” of racism and promote the economic and social rights of the poor, thereby enabling minorities to participate fully in society. Succinctly stated, both Obama and the bishops believe in the power of humans to be instruments of change, aided by God's grace. Would that all Americans recognize the work that still needs to be done and affirm our ability to do it.

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