Black Lives Matter: Pray, Study, Act

In the wake of the death of George Floyd and the protests in response, Pax Christi USA will post various resources for prayer, study and action in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and drawing on Catholic theology, spirituality and practice on this page.

Find out more about our Birth of a Movement Study Circles looking more closely at Olga Segura’s new book, Birth of a Movement: Black Lives Matter and the Catholic Church. (May-July 2021)
Click here for our organizational statement following the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin.
Click here for media statements, including from our Bishop-President, on the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial.
Click here to read our statement on the murder of George Floyd.
Click here for a statement from Pax Christi International.
Click here for our statement on how white fragility cannot block the conversations we need to have on race within our Church.

THE LATEST RESOURCES

Media statement: This acquittal highlights white privilege, this culture of violence, and our addiction to guns
“Blessed is the one who stays awake” – Our response to criticism of today’s movements for social justice
Are racial justice movements straying from Catholic tradition — or are Catholic leaders out of touch?, by Alessandra Harris
National Black Sisters’ Conference issues statement on Archbishop Gómez’s speech against social justice movements
Black Catholics respond with dismay as Gomez calls protests “pseudo-religions”
“White nationalism is the gravest threat to peace” states Rev. Bryan Massingale in accepting the 2021 Teacher of Peace Award
The Catholic Church in Black and White, by Vicki Lott
“White Catholics today condemn slavery. But are they ready to fight its new manifestation—mass incarceration?” by Alessandra Harris
Watch “Policing – Abolition or Reform?” with panelists from the Pax Christi Young Adult Caucus

PAST PSAs (PRAY-STUDY-ACT E-BULLETINS) RELATED TO RACIAL JUSTICE

Juneteenth – Let us not forget: Pray, Study, Act, June 19, 2021
“This MLK holiday, let us remember, honor and embody his witness”, January 2021 Pray-Study-Act e-bulletin
December 2nd (2020) Pray-Study-Act e-bulletin for the 2nd week of Advent with resources on racial justice, BLM, and more…
June 3, 2020, Pray-Study-Act e-bulletin on Black Lives Matter: Dismantling the Racism that Seeds Terror, Disfigures Our Humanity

PRAYER

See our Prayer for Dismantling Racism, written by the Pax Christi USA Anti-Racism Team, under the section “Prayer” in this email bulletin
Requiem for Black Children of God, by Bishop Fernand Cheri
An Examen for White Allies, by Maddie Murphy
Litany for Racial Justice

STUDY

On Black Lives Matter, racial justice, racial equity and the Catholic Church

“Blessed is the one who stays awake” – Our response to criticism of today’s movements for social justice
Are racial justice movements straying from Catholic tradition — or are Catholic leaders out of touch?, by Alessandra Harris
National Black Sisters’ Conference issues statement on Archbishop Gómez’s speech against social justice movements
Black Catholics respond with dismay as Gomez calls protests “pseudo-religions”
The Catholic Church in Black and White, by Vicki Lott
“The intersection between the heart of Christ and Juneteenth,” by Leslye Colvin
Birth of a Movement Study Circles looking more closely at Olga Segura’s new book, Birth of a Movement: Black Lives Matter and the Catholic Church.
What Black Lives Matter can teach Catholics about racial justice, by Olga Segura
If racial justice and peace will ever be attained, it must begin in the church, by Shannen Dee Williams
How can Catholics help lead the fight against racism? by Olga Segura
How the church can combat racism and white privilege, an interview with Rev. Bryan Massingale
A four part video series on “Understanding and Dismantling Racism,” by former Pax Christi USA Anti-Racism Team member, Tom Cordaro, done for a parish audience
Your Struggle is My Struggle, an episode on the Parting the Waters podcast featuring former Pax Christi USA National Council member Adrienne Alexander, co-author with Michael N. Okińczyc-Cruz of the article, “Black & Latino Catholics agree: Our lives matter”

On white privilege and white fragility

The assumptions of white privilege and what we can do about it, by Rev. Bryan Massingale
“Dear White Catholics: It’s time to be anti-racist and leave white fragility behind,” by Andrew Lyke
It’s OUR racism, by Mary Yelenick, Pax Christi USA Anti-Racism Team
The violence of White silence: Sick as our secrets, by Kim Redigan, Pax Christi Michigan
The unspoken fear: What scares many white people about the changing demographics of the U.S. & how too many churches are feeding into it,” by Pax Christi USA Ambassador of Peace Tom Cordaro

On racial justice and intersectionality

“White Catholics today condemn slavery. But are they ready to fight its new manifestation—mass incarceration?” by Alessandra Harris
Watch “Policing – Abolition or Reform?” with panelists from the Pax Christi Young Adult Caucus
“The racist attack on the U.S. Capitol”, by Rev. Bryan Massingale
“Guns are white supremacy’s deadliest weapon. We must disarm hate.” by Rev. Sharon Risher
A webinar on economic and interracial justice by Pax Christi USA National Council member and Pax Christi Anti-Racism Team member Dr. Vicki Lott
Housing discrimination persists in leaving no room at the inn for people of color, from the Pax Christi USA Anti-Racism Team
Economic justice through an anti-racist lens, from the Pax Christi USA Anti-Racism Team

On anti-racism, nonviolence and Pax Christi USA

“White nationalism is the gravest threat to peace” states Rev. Bryan Massingale in accepting the 2021 Teacher of Peace Award
An anti-racist critique of Pax Christi USA’s theology and practice of nonviolence, by Pax Christi USA Anti-Racism Team member Tom Cordaro
The importance of anti-racism training for white activists in Pax Christi USA, by Pax Christi USA Ambassador of Peace Beatrice Parwatikar
Building accountable relationships with communities of color: Lessons learned, by the Pax Christi USA Anti-Racism Team for White Pax Christi folks

Overviews and analyses

Pax Christi Anti-Racism Team chair Pearlette Springer reflects after the Chauvin verdict: “Post-traumatic stress at its finest: After the trial, when does the healing begin?”
Telling the truth about history is a first step, by Dr. Vicki Lott
Black Catholic History: Vision, Voice and Vigilance, a webinar from the Catholic Racial Justice Collaborative in St. Louis; watch the video here.
Find resources for incorporating the work of Black Catholics into our educational institutions by going to this link to the Black Catholic Syllabus by Tia Noelle Pratt, Ph.D.
A Black Catholic Syllabus, from US Catholic

ACTION

Click here for a short report and photos on our Black Lives Matter action outside the June 2, 2020 visit to the St. John Paul II Shrine in DC by the president.
Support the BREATHE Act
Ongoing action opportunities from Color of Change
75 things White people can do for racial justice
Supporting people’s right to vote, ideas from the Pax Christi USA Anti-Racism Team (originally posted for 2016 election)
Note to self: White people taking part in #BlackLivesMatter protests, by Vonn New, AFSC
“Direct Action Training in Defense of Black Lives” – A recorded webinar (and extensive notes) hosted by the Deaconess Foundation and Metropolitan Congregations United
Find resources for incorporating the work of Black Catholics into our educational institutions by going to this link to the Black Catholic Syllabus by Tia Noelle Pratt, Ph.D.
Support Black-owned banks and credit unions, from The Simple Dollar