Sister Act and the Gift of Blackness in the Church
What Deloris’ journey can teach Black Catholics about bringing their culture, gifts, and full selves into the life of the Church.
Culture
Cam Obi, music producer who worked with Chance the Rapper, on conversion to Catholicism and upcoming debut album
The young hip-hop hitmaker has been teasing his first LP for years—a period in which he has also undergone a profound spiritual transformation.
Going nuclear: Defending the meaning of family in a rapidly changing world
Efran Menny reflects on new meanings of family in modern society and how Catholics can witness to truth without losing sight of the real world.
A theology of the durag: On being fully Black to God and others
Tulio Huggins on how his Black hair helped him display his full self—especially in times of upheaval.
Poem: I, too, sing Ave Maria
Zye E. Seema reflects on Black Catholic identity, suffering, and resistance in her BCM debut.
The Golden Rule and the crisis of Black Catholic belonging in the Church
Dr. Antoinette Reaves on the need to feel at home in the Catholic Church—an experience African Americans have often gone without due to neglect.
The new prayer service from the U.S. Catholic bishops doesn't honor the enslaved. It erases them.
Nate Tinner-Williams says the new text is a cheapened catch-all intended for immigrants—with African Americans as a throwaway half-mention.
Sojourner Truth, Sister Thea, and the preaching of Black Catholic women
Tamika Royes suggests that Black Catholic women can help revive the Catholic Church—if only they are permitted to make full use of their gifts.
Review: W. Ralph Eubanks' 'When It's Darkness on the Delta' gives context to a national heartland
Rana Irby reviews a new work from a Black Catholic author on his experiences in and understanding of a complicated, misunderstood region.
'Michael' review: Hits all the right notes with an ascendant Jaafar Jackson
Samantha Smith writes that the new biopic is a worthy tribute to an entertainment figure who, even in death, remains larger than life.
The Golden Rule is not optional: A Black Catholic call to belonging
Dr. Antoinette Reaves on the complications of Black Catholic identity and how a recommitment to a central teaching of Jesus can encourage renewal.
My journey on the ark: The Black Catholic quest for belonging in the Church
As I slowly approached my eighth anniversary as a Catholic in March, I was overcome with the internal tension that has rocked and swayed my commitment to the faith for much of my time in the Church. I can’t ignore the internal conflict that shadows my journey—that the
What hath Monteverdi to do with Motown? On castrati, R&B, and the fight for free expression
Alexander Walton on the European divos of old and Black heartthrobs of the present, both of whose musical abilities bring awe and aspersion.
The Cross and the raised fist of power: A Black pilgrimage in DC
Tulio Huggins recounts a recent trip to Washington that combined religious reflection with meditation on the ongoing freedom struggle in America.
The unsung heroine of 'One Battle After Another' is not who you think.
Simoa Barros on the internal complications of the much-acclaimed flick, and how the director's public stances contradict the film's apparent message.