John LaFarge, S.J., left an indelible mark on America—particularly in his unflagging devotion to the cause of racial justice for African Americans.
Race
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
Sixty years later, ‘Black Like Me’ is still relevant for the Catholic Church
Sixty years after the publication of ‘Black Like Me,’ John Howard Griffin’s book can still be part of much-needed discussions of race for many white Americans who remain unaware of racism’s ongoing effects.
Posted inArts & Culture, Film
Interview: ‘King Richard’ director on the family story of Venus and Serena Williams
“King Richard” charts how Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams, made good on the promise few believed possible.
Posted inArts & Culture, Music
Don’t dismiss Lil Nas X because of his controversial video. He has something to teach the church.
“Montero” can offer new perspectives into the realities of Black queerness; for some, including some Catholics, it might even give a voice to their own experiences.
Posted inPodcasts, Politics & Society
Activists changed a historically racist street name in Kansas. Why didn’t local Catholics support it?
Division Street ran through Atchison, Kan. It divided the community along racial lines until a local advocacy group, Atchison United, lobbied to change it. But some Catholics in the city resisted the effort.
Posted inArts & Culture, Features
Why has Mississippi inspired so many great writers?
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?
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.