I have often noticed that the statue of Lady Justice on top of the Steubenville courthouse is not blind. Most every generic courthouse-topping brass statue I’ve ever seen has been of an androgynous woman in a faux Roman toga, holding a sword in one hand and a balance scale in the other, with a nice thick blindfold tied over the top half of her face. We all know that Lady Justice is supposed to be blind– she is impartial as a... Read more
I received a comment to the effect that taking down municipal statues of Confederate generals is exactly like burning all the history books. This comment’s spelling and grammar were so atrocious, I can only assume that the author had never read a book in his life. But in any case, I have been getting such comments for a solid week. And it seems we share some common ground. I think we should remember our history. And if there are honorable people to... Read more
I have compiled a brief and non-exhaustive list of ways in which the United States can keep from erasing history, without maintaining unattractive bronze monuments to white supremacy on municipal land. Feel free to show it to your state representatives and congresspersons. No need to thank me. 1) Books. 2) Coffee table books. These are different from regular books because nobody ever reads the text in these, they just leave them out for company as a conversation piece. But sometimes... Read more
I don’t want to post this, it’s really uncomfortable for me, but my gut and my heart are pulling me to share this. It literally feels like my heart is being ripped from my body. Do you know why I post so much about Emily? Do you know why I am so passionate about the Down syndrome community? Do you know why Down syndrome awareness means so much to me? Is it just because I like sharing Emily’s face publicly?... Read more
If you’re just joining us, here is the post describing Daniella’s situation. Thank you to all of my readers who offered their prayers and empathy to Daniella after my post two days ago. We both appreciate your response, especially in the light of how many of our fellow Catholics we have seen remaining silent in the face of racism and violence lately. I want to tell everyone that Mr. Lippert had at least two facebook accounts, both of which have been... Read more
The group “Christian Ethicists Without Borders” has released a statement condemning the recent terrorist attack in Charlottesville and all racism and White Supremacy movements. It has been signed by ethicists from many Christian denominations, including many notable Catholics. I’m not a professional ethicist, but I do heartily endorse every word of this statement. Here is an excerpt: White supremacy and racism deny the dignity of each human being revealed through the Incarnation. The evil of white supremacy and racism must... Read more
I am pretty upset about something right now. My friend Daniella is a wonderful woman. She’s a courageous survivor of domestic violence, a fellow Catholic, a mom of seven, a nurse, a very compassionate woman, invariably there with a snarky remark to cheer me up when things go wrong. Daniella is African-American. She is mixed-race and some people presume she’s white, but she’s not. I’ve occasionally seen white Catholics talk over her, as if her experience of actually being a... Read more
Responding to my post last night on how there’s no such thing as a single, unified “White European Culture,” an alert reader has asked me: “Does African American culture exist? What about Native American culture? Who get’s [sic] to decide what identities are valid?” The implication seems to be that, since white Americans came here from a myriad of diverse cultures and aren’t all the same thing, wouldn’t it be fair to say that black Americans from myriad African nations... Read more
Perhaps, by now, you have heard the sad, sad story Peter Cvjetanovic, who was photographed carrying a tiki torch at the white supremacist riot in Charlottesville over the weekend. Cvjetanovic is horrified that we’ve mistaken him for some kind of “angry racist.” He says he wasn’t stalking around a White Supremacist rally with a torch at night to be a racist. “I came to this march for the message that white European culture has a right to be here just like every other culture,” he... Read more
A white woman paced the street, hand on her hip, shouting "Where are the police?" She expected police to save her from white supremacists. People of color know better. Read more
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