a brief thread on catholics who deny the existence of systemic racism in our nation:

denying systemic racism is intellectually dishonest at worst and intellectually lazy at best

it takes almost zero time to learn about systemic practices meant to hold back people of color

just to mention a few:

redlining is the systemic denial of access to financial services such as banking, loans, insurance (in addition to access to healthcare and even supermarkets) - all kept out of neighborhoods of color in order to prevent their access to gaining wealth

a quote on redlining: "Since many African-Americans could not access conventional home loans, they had to turn to predatory lenders (who charged high interest rates). Due to lower home ownership rates, slumlords were able to rent out apartments that would otherwise be owned."

this redlining also impacts the higher rate of liquor stores in communities of color, and a high density of liquor stores are associated with higher crime rates and increased public health issues

redlining also impacts access to student loans and credit cards at decent rates

Environmental policies are another example of systemic racism:

"Urban minority communities may face environmental racism in the form of parks that are smaller, less accessible and of poorer quality than those in more affluent or white areas in some cities"

It's also well documented that institutional racism played a role in the prevalence of the AIDS epidemic in communities of color:

"It was implemented through systematic denial of municipal services, particularly fire protection resources, essential to community stability."

I could go on and on (racial disparities in sentencing, the high density of abortion clinics in communities of color, a Harvard study that shows individuals with "black names" were less likely to get a job interview than "white names", access to quality schools, and on and on)

one tactic frequently employed by catholics who deny systemic racism is to say, "maybe it isn't about race, maybe it's about poverty and socioeconomic status" and once again, I find this incredibly lazy

anyone who cares about their fellow man would need to ask WHY

WHY are certain groups kept from having access to wealth and passing that wealth down to figure generations

WHY are certain communities of color suffering through poverty

we need to learn to ask WHY again and again until we arrive at the answer: racism

another issue I have with catholic denying systemic racism is that these folks tend to downplay the impact of the system (the community, access to health care, poverty, etc) on an individuals' behaviors

they employ a "well, they still shouldn't make bad choices" argument

I see this as a serious non-catholic way of thinking

we are not a "Jesus n' Me" faith - we are a community of believers who are commanded to see Jesus in the face of every single person

and if a system is holding an entire group of people back, it is our duty to do something

as catholics, we're compelled to tear down any systemic policies, practices or rules that lead our sisters and brothers in Christ to make choices they wouldn't make in a fair and equitable environment

we will be judged on what we allow, what we're silent about, and what we deny