The Racial Divide in the United States - Bishop Braxton - reflection

Sep 21, 2026

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The text presents reflections by Bishop Edward K. Braxton and Bishop John H. Ricard on racial division in the United States, grounded in personal experience, current events, and church history. It discusses tragedies involving Black Americans and the protests that followed, critiques the church’s historical shortcomings on racial equality, and calls Catholics to pray, listen, learn, think, and act. It also highlights an earlier civil-rights era church commitment and urges renewed engagement through Christian dialogue.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

The Racial Divide in the United States by Bishop Edward K. Braxton

Prologue

A New Awareness of the Racial Divide and a Call to Christian Dialogue

Trayvon Martin, Oscar Grant, John Crawford III, Michael Brown Jr., Eric Garner and Tamir Rice

What We Have Seen and Heard

CNS documentary service Marygrove Coll genLlibrary8425 West McNi hdls RoadDetroit,MI 48221 “Painjul oreaking news accountscall all Americans to rededicatethemselves to the work of peaceand reconciliation among ourcitizens of different races.” The Racial Divide inthe United States Bishop Braxton Writing from his personal experiences,cur-rent events and the perspective of histo-ry,Bishop Edward K.Braxton of Belleville,Ilinois,urged Catholics to“pray,listen,learn,think and act"about the"racialdivide"facing U.S.society.One ofsix African-American Catholic bishops currently head-ing U.S.dioceses,Bishop Braxton releaseda reflection Jan.1,the 2015 World Day ofPeace,which had as its theme,"No LongerSlaves,but Brothers and Sisters."The bishopsaid he hoped his reflection would serve asa resource for discussions marking MartinLuther King Day,during Lent or at any time."Our Christian faith emboldens us to believethat we,as individuals and as communi-ties,can and should cross the racial divide," he said.Bishop Braxton acknowledged thathe was “not a completely impartial out-side observer"to matters of race,havingbeen stopped and questioned by police twicewhen he was walking or driving in“appar-ently all-white"neighborhoods.He reviewedthe facts surrounding the recent deaths ofTrayvon Martin,Oscar Grant,John CrawfordⅢ,Michael Brown Jr.,Eric Garner and TamirRice—all black and all dead afterconfronta-tions with white police officers oraneighbor-hood watch member—and the protests thatfollowed.He summarized the U.S.CatholicChurch's “flawed history in the area ofracialequality,"and he quoted extensively fromthe U.S.bishops'1979“Brothers and Sistersto Us”and the 1984 pastoral letter of the10 African-American Catholics bishops thenserving in the U.S.,titled,“What We HaveSeen and Heard."Bishop Braxton spoke outagainst describing some Americans or someCatholics as"minorities,"saying,“There is nosingle ethnic,racial or cultural group thatconstitutes true'Americans."The text of hispastoral reflection follows. ay the grace of theLord Jesus Christ,the prince of peace,fill your heartsthroughout the new year!As the CatholicChurch celebrates the World Day of Peacetoday,I am pleased to share this reflectionwith you.Please be generous with your timeso that you can read it carefully.I invite youto reflect on its contents,pray about its con- contents 521 The Racia Divide in theUnited Statesby Bishop Edward K.Braxton 534 Christmas Midnight MassHomilyby Pope Francis535 Christmas Message Urbi etOrbiby Pope Francis536 Datebook536 On File January 15,2015 Volume 44 Number 32 The scenes of chaos and vio-lence in Ferguson,Missouri,following the grand jury'sdecision not to indict thewhite police officer in theshooting death of MichaelBroun,an African-Americanteenager,reveał deeper issuesgoingon in the country,saidone of the conntry's blackCatholic bishops. "The racialdivide that existsbetueen blacks and whitesis not addressed adequatelyexcept when tragedies snchas this happen,"said retiredBishop JohnH.Ricard ofPensacoła-Tallahassee,Florida,who is president ofthe National Black CatholicCongress. The smashed windows,loot-ings,car and buildingfireswhen the grand jury's deci-sion was announced were"part of a cycle of violencethat is going to continue spi-raling,"he added. Whenasked what can bedone to work toward this"positive change,"particnkar-ly by the Catholic conmuni-ty,the bishop said Catholicsshould return to the passionmany of them showed duringthe civil rights nuovement. "We need to rekindle thatcomnitment and not be sosiłent and onły react whenthere is a great tragedy thatforces us to,"he said. The bishop noted that manychurch leaders were at theforefront in integratingschools and fighting againstracial discrimination in the1950s and '60s. "The church took an activerole"back then,he noted andadded that church leaders inSt.Louis have made effortsbut overall the church as awhole has not been as"vis-ibly active.” Bishop Ricard,w

FAQs

What is the central theme of Bishop Edward K. Braxton’s reflection?

He urges Catholics to pray, listen, learn, think, and act about the racial divide facing U.S. society, emphasizing Christian dialogue and a renewed commitment to peace and reconciliation.

Why does the text reference multiple deaths such as Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown Jr.?

It summarizes widely known facts and the protests that followed, using these events to show that the racial divide is not addressed adequately until tragedies occur.

What does Bishop John H. Ricard say about the Catholic Church’s role in recent years?

He notes the Church took an active role in integrating schools and opposing racial discrimination in the 1950s and 1960s, but he suggests complacency and an overall lack of visible activism in more recent times.

Sep 21, 2026

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