I have never been a fan of backhanded compliments.
“You are very well-spoken.”
“You are smart for your age.”
“You look good for a person of your size.”
“You have done well despite your background.”
“You are very spiritual for a Catholic.”
These statements are charged with pessimistic optimism. So much so that if you drop the back half, they are just compliments. But we are conditioned to take the good with the “extra," to the point of expecting any compliments that we get to come with something else on the back end. They give you just enough to engage with you and not enough to make you feel like you are complete in their eyes in any meaningful way.
In July of 1990, the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus established Black Catholic History Month, and set it to run the entire month of November because of several significant dates therein for Black Catholics. Thank you for that. Maybe.
It's no secret that there are saints who hail from every corner of the globe, and in the pantheon of canonized Christians, every culture is represented. Well, not every culture. After all, African Americans have yet to cross the recognition threshold for sainthood—which in itself wouldn’t be a problem if the first day of Black Catholic History Month wasn’t also the Feast of All Saints. We are given just enough to show up at the party but not enough to get in.
Guest Writer
Moreover, there is a reasonable expectation that we, the “next generation,” are supposed to merely pick up and run with what we are taught. That we are to advance and further our people’s causes so that we are doing better as a whole in the time that our work is relevant. We are to then pass the work on and mentor the next generation, so that the cycle will continue and thrive.
Instead, too often we as young Black Catholics are overshadowed by the accomplishments of our predecessors, which has led to the decline of our growth and a lack of desire to participate in our heritage. Only the threat of its erasure spawns a still mediocre or lackluster call to action, in itself doomed to fail because we are not equipped with the tools necessary to combat the threat. We have just enough information to show up but not enough to fight back.
Ultimately, we need to stop settling for just enough. There are many things that we have been “given” where the expected result would be greatness, but after the dust settles, we are lucky if we can even be grateful for the results. Black History Month started off as day. A day turned into a week, a week became a month. Greatness! Until you realize that it’s the shortest month of the year. We have received Juneteenth as a federally observed holiday. Greatness! Until you see it become commercialized like Cinco de Mayo or St. Patrick’s Day.
African-American Catholics are the pulse of Catholicism in the United States, but if we keep being just enough instead of thriving, we will see the end of the Black Catholic Church in this lifetime. Our low presence in the pews makes it seem like we’re on life support, because it’s not enough.
James Conway is one of nine siblings and was inspired to Catholic faith by his mother. He was baptized at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in Baltimore, where he has been a member all of his life. His life's journey has seen me through trials such as surviving domestic violence and homelessness, and triumphs such as visits to the Vatican and an audience with the pope. He is an advocate for social justice, a former youth and young adult minister, and an uncle and mentor. He is a co-founder of Catholic United for Black Lives and is president of Conway Ministry Consulting.
