I learned the Black National Anthem at my Catholic elementary school. I remember singing it at Mass, also at Black Protestant services, at Black fraternity and sorority events, MLK day programs, at family reunions etc. The anthem is a staple in my community. 1/ We will keep singing it too. My daughter learned it early in her life too. The lyrics are beautiful. People outside of my community have zero power to stop the anthem being sung in our homes, schools, churches, meetings, and gathering spaces and also in public. 2/

You guys I love Jesus’ mama. She has been so helpful to me and has petitioned her son on my behalf many many many times and probably many more times when I did not ask but she knew I needed help from Him of some kind. 1/ So to be on this app & see any self proclaimed Catholic declare, bc the BVM is a woman, that she knew her role was not an evangelizing one…. I tremble. The confluence of seeking social media clout & the domination of women is destructive of one’s faith. 2/

@DScottLA My understanding of social justice, wokeness, id politics, & intersectionality come out of the long standing racial justice movement that began when the 1st enslaved Africans resisted in the colonies. These words have a positive meaning in the context of the Blk experience. 1/ @DScottLA These words convey a struggle for liberty and recognition of our human dignity. Identity politics was coined by a collective of Blk women in the 70’s to describe working on ending their own oppression. They realized no one else cared enough to work consistently on this. 2/

Have you ever heard of the “Emerald Isle of the Caribbean”? Montserrat is the only place outside of Ireland to celebrate #StPatricksDay as a national holiday. They celebrate it over a 10 day period. 1/ Most Montserratians are of Irish descent & have Irish surnames. The passport stamp is a shamrock. Catholics fled there to escape rel persecution in the 1600s. The Irish were a varied group of wealthy landowners & indentured servants. They brought enslaved Africans too. 2/

A fellow Catholic contacted me the day after Trump supporters attacked Congress. He was advised by a white colleague to be extra careful bc there is a mob mentality where they live and some of that mob’s anger may be directed at AfAms. 1/ He is especially disturbed by what he terms his “über Catholic community” bc they act like nothing is going on. He sought their support when the KKK marched less than 30 miles from where he lives and received nothing. 2/

If you think a discussion of manifest grave sin of public figures only applies to your “political enemies” then you are missing the fact that the demands of the faith apply regardless of political affiliation. Don’t let your politics become your idol. 1/ In our culture where marriage and abortion are at odds with our faith, and we are discussing scandal, we shouldn’t downplay either matter. The politicizing of canon 915 as a cudgel to be employed & discussed *only* in the case of “political enemies” harms the faithful. 2/

The Black Woman Who Biked Across the US Alone During the 1930s Jim Crow Era was named #BessieStringfield and she was a #BlackCatholic. #TheMotorcycleQueenofMiami vice.com/en/article/qvx… Born in 1911, Stringfield got her first motorcycle, a 1928 Indian Scout, while she was still in her teens and taught herself how to ride it. vice.com/en/article/qvx…

“His parents were devout Catholics who said grace before and after meals, and led the children in a family rosary each day. Thompson discerned a calling to the priesthood, and while his white priest was supportive, his own diocese of Lafayette was not.“ commonwealmagazine.org/sign-contradic… “He graduated from seminary in 1957, but his bishop would not accept him as a priest. Bishop Charles Greco of the neighboring diocese of Alexandria did accept him, and he became the first black priest to be ordained there.”