While American Catholics today would unequivocally condemn the institution of slavery and Jim Crow segregation, most do not see or work against one of its most prominent present-day manifestations: mass incarceration.

“One of the problems of racism, as is the case with so many sins, is that the sinner doesn’t recognize their part in the sin.”

All of us like to associate ourselves with the faith and courage of the abolitionists and civil rights activists. But white Catholics, like most white Americans, generally opposed the abolition of slavery and desegregation efforts.

The ecumenical prayer service was held at Holy Family Cathedral in Tulsa, which opened its doors 100 years ago to provide refuge for those fleeing one of the most severe incidents of racial violence in U.S. history.

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.

In post-Civil War New Orleans, Creole leaders won elections and oversaw the desegregation of public schools, a short-lived experiment destroyed after Reconstruction.