During the first month and change of Black Catholic Messenger's existence, it has only been reinforced that the mission, first instituted by Daniel Rudd in the late 19th century, is very much still needed.
Black Catholic history, voices, news, opinion, and accomplishments must be championed, and it will only consistently be done by Black people.
We must take heed, charge, ownership, and action. We have done so before, we are doing so now, and we must continue to do so.
And while at BCM, we have not provided requirements for article submissions other than adherence to the heritage of Black Catholicism and to the teachings of Church, one common theme of proposals has been the highlighting of forgottenness within the movement.
This echoes the response we've received from our readers.
"I didn't know [x] was Catholic!"
"I've never heard this story before!"
"More people should know about this!"
With that in mind, and in light of the fact that two of our founders are successful novelists, tomorrow, December 9th, at 7pm CST, we will host a roundtable discussion both by and about Black authors—particularly, those within the Catholic community.
This one of many topics to uncover and promote within Black Catholicism, but we are hoping it will lead to many more such discussions in the near future.
The virtual roundtable, covering everything from history to faith to business strategy, will include:
- Alessandra Harris, a co-founder of BCM and a successful fiction author with several titles under her belt.
- Lauren Poteat, a professional journalist and new author with a passion for increasing Black authorship.
- Courtney Barnes, a freelance writer who recently authored a Black Catholic prayer book.
- Nate Tinner-Williams, co-founder and editor of BCM.
Register here, and submit any questions to Lauren at laurenmeredithp@gmail.com
Facebook event link:
Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder of Black Catholic Messenger, a priesthood applicant with the Josephites, and a ThM student w/ the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA).
