The board of the American Catholic Historical Society is appalled and grieved by the recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. We mourn the loss of their lives and the countless others who have lost their lives as a consequence of racialized violence. Racism is a sin. We stand in solidarity with the communities who have endured centuries of racial and ethnic injustice and with those who work for justice in the city of Philadelphia, in the United States, and in the Catholic Church.

The American Catholic Historical Society has a professional, moral, and spiritual responsibility to participate constructively in the national conversation on this topic. Recognizing the need for a fuller understanding of the historical and contemporary reality, including in our Catholic experience, we will foreground the work of Black scholars and other persons of color who work in this area on our website and through our programming, and continue to promote scholarship on this topic in our journal, American Catholic Studies.

Read some additional resources on the subject of race and racism.