Greetings from the Province Center,
In recent weeks we have been reading about and hearing a lot about the prevalent racism which still exists in the United States. We have seen video footage of white abusive police behavior directed toward African American males.
The protests in which African American citizens and their allies of every ethnicity are taking part indicate the realization that change is needed, and it is needed now. Change is needed, not just to end the protests and riots, but because equality is the hallmark of who we say that we are as a nation. We think that white America is awakening to the fact that the American experience for people of color is a radically different experience.
We urge you to read an article by Rev. Bryan N. Massingale from the National Catholic Reporter. He writes of white privilege and its effect on society.
As one who was born and raised in the south, Fr. Dan Hall knows that much of what Fr. Massingale writes is true. Our justice system and our society in general are called to be color blind. Yet, we are far from that. We recall the words of Martin Luther King when he said, “I long for the day when my children will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the quality of their character.”
Another statement we urge you to read is from the Conference of Major Superiors of Men and the third is from our own Fr. Mark Francis in a letter he wrote to the Catholic Theological Union community addressing our call to address racism and self-examination. We invite you to make these articles part of your prayer, individually and as part of your community prayer.
We must undertake a real self-reflection to see if we are benefitting from the pain of others. Please make this a part of your discussions and conversations. We must keep the conversation alive and not go back to business as usual.
We join others in stating, Black Lives Matter.
In Viator,
