The United States Catholic Church
 in many ways in
most ways I
would say
mirrored
what
the United States was in
terms of race at that
particular
time
we’re hearing about this now there’s an
admission of it. Religious
orders themselves have
been slave owners 
Dominicans,
 Jesuits 
and all
this is recent history that’s coming
to fore Parish houses
and dioceses there
were  slaves
involved
slaves                                    
who                          
built                 
churches 
So there’s a whole
legacy there
Black people who came if they were
gained admittance to
any churches at all 
they were
relegated to the galleys
relegated to receive the
Eucharist                      
after                         
the white             
congregations
they were limited to participation in
certain organizations.
Hence black people
formed
their own organizations
the Knights and Ladies
of Peter Claver
the National
Black Catholic
Congress
in order for the social uplift
and spiritual uplift of 
black people so we
still have those 
legacies today. 
As the memory of slavery and
discrimination they still 
go on the wounds
are still
there. 
They still are affecting people in all of our
communities in the
United States
in some 
kind of way 
I tend to call it insidiousness.
It’s not necessarily
saying I have to use
the N-word
in order to express some
racist or ignorant even
feelings about a
different culture 
or to be xenophobic about
some things but it is a 
way of life in the
United States
Stereo typical humor that
is brought to me as
opposed to 
anyone
else
those of the things that
have happened in
my experience
in religious
life
A religious superior and
this person had been
to Rome he
represented
the
[religious] community in Rome
and how he wanted
to see me
he points me out
and he wanted
to see me in
dreadlocks
. . .
"Hi, Art" was too much to say
or            
"Art, how are
things going?"
that’s too
much to say 
That's too much of a diversion.
The question came to
hair and how he
wanted to see
me in    
dreadlocks
And now my immediate reaction,
I told him now why
don’t you make
you some
dreadlocks 
you go get your hair permed
if you love dreadlocks
so much and
put                 
some          
on        
you
Even within religious life people come
from their various
experiences this
collar again
does not
immune a person, a religious habit does
not immune a person
from those 
kinds       
of          
experiences 
so I was in religious habit I remember being
on Kingshighway and
trying to get 
to church
from my
residence
I lived some distance from where
the church is to get to
mass  and being
pulled
over
not really going as I thought
any faster than
anyone
else
that’s happened more
than once that I
think I have been
profiled           
in            
traffic   
That’s very real
those are   
very        
real        
experiences 
that people have
As doors had opened up to
black Catholics then
that memory never
and it should never
ever fade
it should be something
that people say 
never                
ever         
again
but something that we should work into
the Gospel to say how can
we do things differently
how can we:
Open Wide            
Our Hearts
to invite other communities into
where we are as well as
hoping that the
invitation comes
to be invited to
other places
as well
