What is missing from my understanding of the Black Catholic experience?

In this episode, I reflect on what I’ve been learning about the history of Catholic involvement in slavery, the development of Black Catholic thought, and the ways Black Catholics have challenged the Church to more fully live into its teachings on justice and human dignity.

This conversation draws from the work of Black Catholic journalists, including reporting from the Black Catholic Messenger, as well as historians and theologians such as Alessandra Harris, Fr. Bryan Massingale, and James H. Cone.

This episode is not meant to speak for Black Catholics or provide a definitive account of Black Catholic history. Instead, it is a reflection on my own learning process as a white Catholic: the questions I’ve been asking, the gaps I’ve discovered in my own formation, and the history I’m continuing to learn.

My next episode features a Black Catholic guest, Alessandra Harris, as we continue this conversation through her work and scholarship.