Baltimore parish spearheads ongoing racial justice rallies

Avis Jackson, a parishioner of St. Matthew, Northwood, watched from home earlier this summer as protests for racial justice swept across the country. A cancer survivor who cares for her elderly mother, Jackson couldn’t risk joining the crowds despite being a longtime activist.

But this weekend, she was excited to venture out to Loch Raven Boulevard Aug. 8 as dozens of people of all faiths spaced out and lined the median, donning masks and holding signs. While the intensity of the protests has waned in recent weeks, she said, rallies like this one are needed to keep the message alive. 

“We have to maintain vigilance. … It’s important to maintain that presence because it’s been going on for a long time and it hasn’t changed,” Jackson said of the issues of systemic racism and police brutality. “I mean, police are still attacking people.”

Across the boulevard at Faith Presbyterian Church, more demonstrators stood beside a long line of lawn signs each bearing the name of people who died at the hands of the police, including Freddie Gray, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

The demonstrators greeted passing cars with protest signs and thumbs up. Most drivers honked their horns and waved in support.

Father Joe Muth, pastor of St. Matthew, said he has been reaching out to other churches in the area to keep the rallies going. Father Muth said he and other faith leaders have been trying to hold a rally at least once a month.

“This is a constant, consistent activity that we have to be a part of to remind ourselves of who we are in our society, who we are in our church, and what we need to be doing,” Father Muth said.

Father Muth applauded Archbishop William Lori’s recent column in America magazine where he emphasized how Catholic teachings are reflected in the simple message of “Black lives matter.”

The archbishop did not endorse the political organization known as the BlackLivesMatter Global Network, noting that many ideological platforms and tactical strategies promoted under the umbrella of the phrase “Black Lives Matter” “are in direct contradiction to church teaching and should rightfully be rejected by faithful Catholics.”

He noted, however, that there is a truth reflected in the words “Black lives matter” that transcends partisan platforms and ideological constructs. In the column, the archbishop said the cornerstone of the church’s social teaching is “the truth concerning the dignity of the human person.”

“People say, ‘Well, you know, all lives matter.’ All lives do matter, but all lives will really matter when Black lives matter,” Father Muth said. “We need to be able to keep this up because it’s been such a long time of Black lives not mattering in a lot of different ways.”

Father Muth said the church recently hung a large “Black lives matters” sign in the window of the church, one of a number of parishes in the archdiocese. Father Muth said the issue is particular at the forefront in his parish. Almost half of his parishioners are people of color, many immigrants from Africa.

“We know our diversity is our blessing,” said Grace Byerly, a lifelong parishioner at St. Matthew. 

Jackson, for one, said she’s been encouraged by how diverse the protests have been. On Loch Raven Boulevard, a good number of black and white people were both represented in the crowd. She said technology may be helping to show white people clear evidence of what minorities have long faced.

“Now that people know that there is truth to what minorities have been saying to what people have been saying all along. People are standing up for their values because that’s what Americans do. That’s what we’re all about. So it’s very emotional. It’s very moving. And I’m so excited to be a part of this process.”

Email Tim Swift at tswift@CatholicReview.org

Also see:

How church teaching can help explain why ‘Black Lives Matter’

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