Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Flowers are placed in security fencing around the U.S. Capitol in Washington Jan. 11, days after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the the building. (Erin Scott, Reuters/CNS Photo)

The good and the ugly

Sherita Thomas
By
Special to the Catholic Review Filed Under: Amen, Black Catholic Ministry, Commentary, Racial Justice

I am speechless. I have been struggling to talk about the recent insurrection in Washington, D.C., with my daughters.

We talk about everything. I promised to tell them about the good and ugly parts of life. It is becoming more and more difficult for me. I now understand why my great grandfather did not tell me the entire story about his move from the South to Baltimore as a young boy.

While I am struggling with my words, the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Racism Work Group is ending the first phase of its work. I did not have to find the words because my oldest daughter glanced at the television (I thought she was working on her homework) and told me that racism is wrong and all humans should act better, especially the people who went to the Capitol.

I talk about racism and equality, as well as the goals of the racism work group, with my daughters. Sometimes they stand outside my work-fromhome pandemic workspace, waiting for a Zoom meeting to end.

It has been six months since the racism work group reconvened. The first phase of its work focused on outlining recommendations and building dialogue. The next phase will focus on the implementation of key recommendations, short-term and longer-term, that will be presented to Archbishop William E. Lori. Listening sessions and interviews were held by myself and the consultants. The findings informed my approaches.

I heard about the pain, challenges and impact of racism. I also heard personal stories about resilience, perseverance and dedication. The findings resulted in a defined path for each month, dedicated to key action steps with defined timeframes.

The months of July and August were focused on reflection and formation. The work group charter was finalized to detail the scope of the efforts. September was dedicated to expanding dialogue and discussing practices and processes to root out bias. The desired outcome is to create a culture of belonging for people of all races within the church.

We also launched work group subcommittees to ensure a comprehensive review of needs and help develop resources and ways to attract new members.

From October to November, we worked to define the change we would like to see as it relates to racial justice in the archdiocese and community. I believe that we must understand and address the history of racism, how it functions, why it persists and how we can uproot and replace it with justice and equality. This means teaching truthfully about our history, both the good and the ugly parts.

We also hosted learning labs for the Catholic Center and school staff to explore ways to combat racism. December and January were dedicated to documenting the recommendations and path forward.

I am hopeful that the racism initiative will assist with ending the pattern of disregard seen too often displayed for Black lives. I hope this effort is a journey for the Archdiocese of Baltimore instead of just a project.

Finally, I encourage all of us to see Black History Month as an opportunity to observe, celebrate and learn of the strengths, struggles, resistance – and the sheer perseverance of the Black community.

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