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Today is my Twitter birthday! In wake of @LoyolaMaryland's recent decision to name a hall after Sr./Dr. #TheaBowman, my wish is for Bowman's alma mater @CatholicUniv to consider honoring the legacies of the two Oblate Sisters of Providence (OSP) seen below in a similar way.
In 1933, the OSP General Council selected Srs. Mary of Good Counsel Baptiste (l) & Mary Consolata Gibson (r) to reintegrate @CatholicUniv. Although CUA did not bar Black students at its founding, officials formally did so during WWI & refused to lift the ban for the next 15 yrs.
In the e. 1930s, OSP leaders (w/ Black lay leaders) called upon CUA officials to eliminate their anti-black admissions policy. But, OSP leaders had a condition. If their members were admitted & succeeded, CUA had to lift the ban for all Black people, not just #Blacknuns.
In 1934, Baptiste & Gibson became @CatholicUniv 's 1st Black graduates in almost 2 decades & its 1st Black women graduates. Their successes paved the way for the 100s that followed including, #SisterTheaBowman, who earned her PhD in English from CUA in 1972.
I hope you enjoyed the history lesson! I'm taking a break, but I'll be back soon. I am so grateful to all who have helped me to amplify the truth that #BlackHistoryIsCatholicHistory, #CatholicHistoryIsBlackHistory, & that #BlackCatholicHistoryAlwaysMatters. I've only just begun!
