Though a small state in terms of geographic size and population, Mississippi occupies an outsized place in the world of American letters. Why? How has “a little state that rests alongside the banks of a great and mighty river” made so many significant contributions to American literature?
Race
Posted inFaith, Podcasts
George Floyd’s murder demanded more from the Catholic Church
On episode one of The Gloria Purvis Podcast, Gloria reflects on the past year since the murder of George Floyd and speaks to a priest from a historically Black parish in the Twin Cities.
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
A New Orleans jazz hall and its history in the fight for Black freedom
In post-Civil War New Orleans, Creole leaders won elections and oversaw the desegregation of public schools, a short-lived experiment destroyed after Reconstruction.
Posted inArts & Culture, Television
‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ and what it means to be a Black superhero
The show attempts to juggle a number of different issues and themes, but chief among them is a commitment to being a meditation on modern racial animus in the United States, and it does not shy away from controversial topics and ideas.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
The G.O.P. prizes Black Republicans — as long as they don’t alienate white members
The G.O.P. realizes it must become more diverse, writes Corey D. Fields, but it has become increasingly intolerant of Black Republicans who talk about racial justice, even in a conservative framework.
Posted inInterviews, Politics & Society
Interview: How the Jesuits are working to confront their history of slavery
American Jesuit histories often minimize the important contributions that enslaved people made.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
MLK believed there was ‘no slave nor free’ in Christ. A trip to Alaska taught me there’s no Black, white or Eskimo either.
Raised Catholic, I was familiar with St. Paul’s words. But it took an unforgettable trip to Alaska for me to appreciate what they might mean in my own life.
Posted inInterviews, Politics & Society
Interview: Why did so many Democrats vote for Trump—and what should Joe Biden do about it?
In the elections of 2016 and 2020, Trump lost the popular vote. Yet he managed to win some of the most loyal Democratic communities in the nation.
Posted inArts & Culture, Film
Review: Viola Davis pays tribute to an irreplaceable Black culture in ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’
Chadwick Boseman also appears in his final performance before his untimely death.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
Dear White Catholics: It’s time to be anti-racist and leave white fragility behind.
It is important to feel guilt and shame over racism in order to overcome it.