PATRICK CAROLAN, writer, Welcoming Our Afghan Brothers and Sisters

Welcoming Our Afghan Brothers and Sisters

By Patrick Carolan

Inspired by St. Francis, this author reaches beyond language and cultural differences to connect with Afghan refugees resettling in the United States.

A YOUNG AFGHAN BOY told me about his harrowing escape from Afghanistan the day Kabul fell.

He had been in school that day but managed to connect with his uncle and cousins to get to the airport. He came here with only the clothes on his back. His sandals are falling apart, held together by tape. His family is still in Afghanistan.

He is one among thousands of Afghan refugees who fled after the Taliban captured the capital city on August 15, 2021. For a long time, Afghanistan has been a pawn in the global power struggle between superpowers. It is a beautiful country that was the birthplace of the great Sufi mystic and poet Rumi.

Today some 95,000 of our Afghan brothers and sisters are scattered throughout the United States at various refugee camps. During previous migrations, Americans have been generous in traveling to other countries to help at refugee camps; many have donated money and resources to help. This is the first time in a long time that we have set up refugee camps in our own country.

A SALAAM AND A HIGH FIVE

I spent several weeks volunteering in such a refugee camp in Virginia, filled with over 5,000 Afghan refugees. Many came with nothing. Many are separated from family members. They speak Pashto or Dari along with some English. Each morning as I arrive at the camp, I am greeted with the traditional salaam with a bow of the head and a touch to the heart—though many of the boys that I worked with follow that up with a high five and “What’s up?”

Despite all that he has been through, the young boy who told me about his escape from Afghanistan is filled with laughter and joy. He speaks a little English, so he helps teach the other children who do not. I also heard the story of a young man who is married and has one daughter. He has a master’s degree. Despite the fact that he has lost everything, he has a contagious smile. I was trying to teach him English while he taught me Pashto.

I was part of a group of volunteers from different organizations, including the United States Conference

An Afghan boy pumps his arms with excitement as he and other refugees board a bus at Washington Dulles Airport on September 1, 2021.

of Catholic Bishops. Our role was to provide recreational opportunities and a chance to relate with some Americans in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. While at the camp, I was blessed to work with volunteers representing different parts of the country and coming from various backgrounds. Some I had previously worked with, and others I met for the first time. We all had one thing in common: an inner sense of how we are all connected and a drive to reach out to those in need.

I draw my inspiration from the 13thcentury Franciscan theologian and leader We are all connected; St. Bonaventure, who tells us that how through God, we choose and what we choose make a we are all one. difference—first in what we become by our choices and second in what the world becomes by our choices. This simple statement by Bonaventure explains the profound vision of St. Francis: a vision of a world where we are all connected; through God, we are all one.

MAKING CONNECTIONS

Larry and Cathy Couch share that vision. Larry has been a Catholic activist and leader. We had worked together on numerous projects over the years, particularly around immigration. He served as a lobbyist for the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd in Silver Spring, Maryland. He has advocated for people living in poverty and victims of human trafficking, worked to prevent domestic abuse, and sought compassionate immigration reform. At the camp, we were told that our role would be to interact with the refugees and maybe help provide some recreational opportunities. Larry and Cathy thought they would be working at the distribution center, sorting and distributing clothes and other supplies. Instead, they were assigned to work at a recreational tent where Afghans would gather during the day. The tents were separated by gender, so Cathy was at the women’s tent and Larry at the men’s. As Larry described it: “Our challenge was to relate with the refugees across the language barrier. This proved to be a more interesting and more challenging work than handing out clothes.” The tents were open each day from 9 to 5. When we arrived, there were no structured programs in the tents. Folks just came and hung out. The younger boys would go back and forth between the men’s and women’s tents. Larry mentioned that years ago he had volunteered with Big Brothers. There he learned that sometimes it is enough to just be there, watch TV, and play games. As Cathy described it: “We were told to ‘engage’ with the kids. That was no problem. The girls were very friendly and eager to interact with me and with the female Marines who were assigned to the tent.” Because there was no formal structure, we volunteers were pretty much left on our own. Our days consisted of doing art projects, teaching language skills, shooting hoops, and just being present. While the children were energetic, it was clear that they had recently gone

Refugees travel by bus to a processing center. They are among hundreds who fled Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul to begin a new life in America.

through a major trauma, having been displaced from their homes and lost most or all of their possessions. Indeed, they were now strangers in a strange land. Despite this, they were very eager to learn, especially English.

Larry is a master in tae kwon do. Tae kwon do had been growing in popularity in Afghanistan since Rohullah Nikpai won medals in both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Larry offered to teach basic skills to the young boys, but that idea was rejected. It was felt that many of the children had been traumatized by war, and it was feared that if we trained in tae kwon do on a military base, the children might assume they were being prepared to go into battle.

Instead, we organized a demonstration on the base. The theater was packed with boys and girls and some adults. They were somewhat skeptical at first, wondering what this old White guy was doing wearing a dobok (the uniform worn by tae kwon do martial artists). But when Larry started breaking boards with his hands and feet, they sat on the edges of their seats, cheering. For a brief period of time, we gave them a respite from their trauma. Larry and Cathy summed up their experience, saying: “We are very grateful to have had the opportunities to spend time with these wonderful Afghan refugees. Hopefully, we helped to make their transition into our way of life a bit less stressful.”

SHARING STORIES AND LAUGHTER

A week after Larry and Cathy got to the camp, I arrived. At the airport, I met a volunteer from New Mexico named Pooya Rezai. Pooya himself was a refugee. He was born in Iran in 1973. His family left during the Iran-Iraq War and settled in America in 1984. Pooya had previous experience working with refugees.

When he was a teen in Los Angeles, his parents started a community center to assist immigrants and refugees with notary and translation services. With the mantra “Keep Your Roots and Learn Your New Country” as a model, the community center hosted Persian poetry nights, plays, and concerts. Years later, Pooya responded to the refugee crisis in Europe as a volunteer. He traveled to Lesbos, Greece, to volunteer with Emergency Response Centre International.

Pooya and I formed a team. Each morning when we arrived at the tents, Pooya would organize the boys and lead a morning exercise session. I would

ST. ANTHONY BREAD

The National Shrine of St. Anthony is located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Consecrated in 1889, it includes a first-class relic of St. Anthony and serves as a center for daily prayer and contemplation.

The Franciscan friars minister from the shrine. To help them in their work among the poor, you may send a monetary offering called St. Anthony Bread. Make checks or money orders payable to “Franciscans” and mail to the address below.

Every Tuesday, a Mass is offered for benefactors and petitioners at the shrine. To seek St. Anthony’s intercession, mail your petition to the address below. Petitions are taken to the shrine each week.

FRANK JASPER, OFM

viSit our webSite to:

StAnthony.org

mAil poStAl communicAtionS to: St. Anthony Bread 1615 Vine St. Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498

En route to Dulles, Virginia, a child waits to board a US Air Force transport with her family at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar after fleeing Afghanistan in August 2021.

sit with the men and share stories. They would ask me questions about different parts of the country. They were concerned about how to maintain their culture while assimilating into America. Sharing our stories was a way to teach them English. They all wanted notebooks so they could write down phrases and practice them.

Despite all that they had lived through, they still managed to laugh—especially when some of the younger men asked me about dating in the United States and I tried to explain the concept of online dating.

Pooya came up with the idea of building kites. For various reasons we were told that it would not be a good idea. But we went ahead anyway, gathering newspapers, sticks, string, and glue to assemble a dozen kites. We gathered the boys in an open field and gave them the kites. The look of joy on their faces was priceless. These boys had been through a traumatic experience, but for a brief few hours they were able to be just boys again.

A number of other people volunteered to help. Marines were assigned to each tent; some would spend time with the boys and girls playing basketball or Uno. One Marine shared her story. Her parents were refugees from Central America and had to escape violence in their home country. She was able to convey hope to the Afghan women.

We also worked with Ariana Arghandewal, a refugee from Afghanistan whose parents left during the civil war in 1989. She came to the center to work as an interpreter. When I asked her why, she said: “I’ve been a refugee twice over and understand both the cultural and linguistic challenges of moving and adjusting to an entirely different society. I wanted to be of service to people who would be experiencing some of those challenges. I came to the United States from Germany, and that was a culture shock that took me years to adjust to. Clearly, those coming from Afghanistan would have a hard time with it. I just wanted to ease that transition for them.”

WELCOMING THE STRANGER

One key concept in every major religion is the belief in welcoming the stranger. The Bible is full of messages about this. Ezekiel 16:49 tells us that God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of the inhabitants’ refusal, despite their prosperity, to care for the stranger and the poor. The Gospel of Matthew teaches us, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me” (25:35).

St. Francis would never have considered anyone a stranger. He would have thought of them as a child of God, his brother and sister. He would welcome them, feed them, and care for them. St. Francis viewed all creation as his brothers and sisters. He understood that we are each unique but connected through creation.

Every creature is not only a member of a certain species but also a unique aspect of the infinite mystery of God. Every aspect of creation is a unique sacred story, and through our interconnectedness with God and all creation, we are part of the sacred story.

‘Love. Listen. Accompany.’ Walking with the LGBTQ Community

By Sister Rose Pacatte, FSP

Someone you love has come out as LGBTQ. Jim Martin, SJ, offers ways to respond with love, respect, and compassion.

IN 2013, I SAW a documentary I have never forgotten. Facing Fear tells the story of a former teen skinhead, Tim Zaal, and a gay teen, Matthew Boger, whom Tim thought he had killed on a wild night of gay-bashing with 14 others in West Hollywood in the early 1980s.

Matthew’s mother had kicked him out of the house at the age of 13 when he told her he was gay. He lived on the streets of West Hollywood for four years. Tim grew up in an all-White neighborhood east of Los Angeles. When his brother was shot by a Black man, Tim blamed all people of color and became a White supremacist.

In a twist of providence, Matthew and Tim met years later at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, where Matthew worked and Tim, now a father and a changed man, volunteered. When they recognized each other, they walked away. But the museum leadership asked them to speak to students and groups about their story. Forgiveness and friendship grew out of getting to know one another.

After seeing the film, I couldn’t understand how a parent could kick out her young teen son because he was gay. Matthew’s mother said it was because no one living in sin could live in her home.

Violence against LGBTQ persons is increasing in the United States. The Human Rights Campaign (hrc. org) reports that in 2020 the FBI found that hate crimes “based on sexual orientation represent 16.7 percent of hate crimes, the third largest category after race and religion.” But because cities are not mandated to report hate crimes, these numbers are probably much higher.

“Suicide rates among young people have been on the rise in recent years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” reported Dan Avery in an article for NBC News in April 2021, “but gay and bisexual youths are almost five times as likely to have attempted suicide as their straight peers.” In addition, AmericanProgress.org notes that there are between 1.6 million and 2.8 million homeless youth in the United States, and a disproportionate number are LGBTQ youth.

I interviewed Jesuit Father James (Jim) Martin, an advocate for the LGBTQ community, about this reality. Father Martin is the author of the 2018 best seller Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity and is the subject of the 2021 documentary Building a Bridge.

WHAT SHOULD PARENTS DO?

Father Jim, you are a compassionate advocate for members of the LGBTQ community. What are parents to do when their children “come out” to them? What if the children are teens or young adults? What are the three most important things parents can do for their children who are LGBTQ?

Th e most important thing is to love your child. Every parent knows this, but oft en they feel unequipped to respond when their child comes out. I oft en say to parents, “You know more than you think you do.” In this case, you know how to love.

Listening is a big part. Listen to your child’s experiences. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, but always communicate your love and acceptance. Coming out can be a diffi cult thing for a child. Th ey’re talking about sexuality, something that’s diffi cult for any child to discuss with parents. But one of the most crucial things for the mental health of LGBTQ youth is parental acceptance. And one of the main reasons for teen homelessness is LGBTQ kids being kicked out of their houses—by the way, usually for “religious reasons.”

Th ere are, of course, diff erences in how one deals with a teen versus an adult and times when psychotherapy helps—not because being LGBTQ means being mentally ill, but to help the person through the process. But, in the end, it’s about love.

Remember that God has given you this child, and so God will give you the grace to love them, even if they turned out diff erent than you expected. Are you willing to allow yourself to be surprised and even challenged by the mystery of God’s ways?

Love. Listen. Accompany. Love fi rst. One of the best ways to communicate this is to respond by saying things like, “Th ank you for telling me.” “You know I will always love you.” “I’m so grateful you’ve shared this part of yourself with me.” Listening means hearing their sorrow and pain, as well as their joy and hope. Parents are oft en surprised that for many young people today, coming out is seen as something to celebrate—because they are comFather Jim Martin, SJ ing to a deeper understanding of who they are. Finally, accompany. Your child may be going through some changes, perhaps in how they dress, perhaps regarding their friends, perhaps their taste in music. Th ink of it as a pilgrimage you’re going on with them.

BUILDING A BRIDGE: THE BOOK AND THE MOVIE

What was the best part about making the documentary Building a Bridge? Seeing how the fi lm brought together so many diff erent voices. Th e fi lmmakers did an amazing job of including LGBTQ Catholics, parents of LGBTQ kids, theologians, parish ministries, and so on. It’s a reminder that this issue does not aff ect just LGBTQ people themselves, but the whole Church. I was also glad that they captured some of the pain and struggles of LGBTQ youth. Oft en people say, “What’s the big deal?” Well, in the fi lm you see what the big deal is.

In the fi lm, you talk about changes you made between the fi rst and second editions of your book Building a Bridge. Can you tell us about them? Th e fi rst edition of the book was simple and short. Th e fi rst part was based on a talk I gave, and the second was a series of Gospel meditations to invite readers to see how Jesus reached out to those on the margins. But even in the few months aft er the book came out (no pun intended), I saw that it needed to be revised and expanded a great deal.

To begin with, the LGBTQ Catholic community challenged me on the idea of a “two-way bridge.” Both “sides”—LGBTQ Catholics and the institutional Church—need to reach out to one another. But I had to make it clearer that the onus is on the institutional Church to take the initiative, since it is in a position of ecclesial power. As one LGBTQ Catholic said: “We’d love to talk with bishops. But some of them won’t meet with us.”

Also, there were many more stories and insights, as well as facts and fi gures, which I wanted to include, especially when I saw how the book was being used by parishes and schools. I didn’t set out to write a resource, but that’s what it has become, since there are so few books written on the topic from a Catholic perspective.

The 2021 documentary Building a Bridge is based on Father Jim Martin’s ministry to LGBTQ Catholics. In this scene from the fi lm, he speaks with Christine Leinonen, a mother and activist.

THREATS TO THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY

One of the most concerning things is the lack of a pastoral response as Church to anyone who identifi es as LGBTQ who attempts suicide and/or self-harm. How do parents, teachers, pastors, and others respond to this reality? You highlight one of the most important aspects of this ministry. Suicide is a life issue. So we need to defend the lives of LGBTQ people as much as the lives of the unborn child in the womb, the refugee at the border, or the elderly person dying of COVID-19. Violence, beatings, and harassment are also commonplace. Sadly, the Church has spoken up hardly at all on this issue.

It’s even worse overseas. Did you know that in 70 countries being gay is a criminal off ense, and in 10 countries you can be executed for being gay? Th is is an area in which the Church can take a stand without changing any teaching. In fact, combating LGBTQ suicide and opposing violence against them supports Church teaching.

Why do people respond with violence to members of the LGBTQ community? Some cite fear of the unknown or fear that God will disapprove of them for being kind. What do you think? I agree. It’s primarily a fear of the “other.” And religion, sadly, sometimes contributes to this. If you consistently condemn people, speak of them exclusively in the language of sin (when we’re all sinners), and single them

Pope Francis, in a letter to Father Jim Martin, SJ, encouraged him in his LGBTQ ministry, writing, “You are a priest for all men and women.”

out in homilies and bishops’ statements, then it becomes easier to think they are a threat. We see this over and over in history: the targeting, demonization and, eventually, dehumanization of a marginalized group. Recently, one bishop said that transgender people don’t even exist. I can’t imagine language that is more dehumanizing than that.

But it’s also about a person’s own interior life. In the past five years, I’ve spoken to many psychiatrists and psychologists about the rage that is often directed at LGBTQ people (and this ministry). To a person they say, “It’s about something going on inside of them.” The most rageful people are usually those who are the most conflicted about their own sexuality, and it’s easier to direct that anger outward. We should never underestimate how much of that is in the Church.

THE ROLE OF CHURCH AND SOCIETY

In June 2021, Pope Francis wrote to you: “Thinking about your pastoral work, I see that you are continually seeking to imitate this style of God.” How did this affirmation from the Holy Father make you feel? How is your pastoral work aligned with the agenda of Pope Francis, who welcomes and encourages members of the LGBTQ community to come to Mass and send their children to Catholic schools and religious instruction? The Holy Father’s support means everything to me. In 2019, Pope Francis invited me to meet with him for 30 minutes in the Apostolic Palace, where we discussed LGBTQ ministry. At the end of that meeting, he asked me to continue my ministry. But I didn’t feel that I could share that with the public. Then last summer I learned that I would be able to share the letter he had sent, which was a great blessing. And remember, as a Jesuit, he is also my boss. By the way, everything I do in this ministry comes after asking for permission from my Jesuit superiors.

I try to align my ministry with the Holy Father’s outreach: showing welcome, reaching out to a group on the margins, and helping them find their place in what is, after all, their Church too.

Why are some well-intentioned members of the Church or any faith community so averse to admitting that a person does not choose to be LGBTQ but is born that way, and that God loves that person regardless of his or her sexual orientation? Frankly, I have no idea. Nearly every reputable psychiatrist, psychologist, biologist, physician, and social scientist—not to mention LGBTQ people themselves and their parents—will tell you this, but some people refuse to believe it.

Some of this is from fear, which can lead to hatred. The New Testament says, “Perfect love drives out fear.” Well, perfect fear drives out love too.

There is still an alarming amount of homophobia in our Church. I don’t mean sincere misunderstanding or even critiques of LGBTQ ministry; I mean hatred. I suppose that if someone is forced to admit that a person is born this way, it may threaten how they have been dealing with sexuality overall—and perhaps with human anthropology—and that may lead to denial.

Father Jim Martin, SJ, travels widely but carries with him the same message of love, tolerance, and respect for each other’s humanity.

Is there a mystery in attempting to reconcile our call to faith, hope, and charity with our brothers and sisters who identify as LGBTQ? What should we do when we don’t understand the words of Scripture and the reality of persons in our families or communities? The mystery is how so many people can judge them when Jesus says not to judge, and hate them when Jesus says to love. When we look at the Bible, we also need to understand a few things. First, we need to understand the passages about homosexuality in their historical context and remember that Catholics are not fundamentalists. Sometimes I ask people, “Do you think that we should stone people who commit adultery?” And they say, “Of course not.” And I say, “Why not? That’s in the Bible too.” Most people are fine with understanding those lines in a different way today. But when it comes to homosexuality, suddenly we’re all fundamentalists.

But the more basic lesson of the Scripture is how Jesus reached out to those on the margins. Just look at the stories of him encountering the Roman centurion (who wasn’t Jewish), the Samaritan woman (who was in an irregular sexual relationship), and Zacchaeus (who was a hated tax collector). These are all people on the margins in various ways, as LGBTQ people are in the Church. And what does Jesus do? He listens to them, accompanies them, and loves them. We need to pattern ourselves after Jesus. Otherwise, what’s the point?

What role can the entertainment arts play in educating people about the complexities of LGBTQ issues? We can’t underestimate the influence that the arts and popular culture have in terms of helping the world see LGBTQ people as human beings. Think of shows like Will & Grace, Ellen, and, more recently, Jeopardy!, where a transgender person became one of the most winning contestants in the show’s history. For those who don’t have contact with many LGBTQ people, these shows helped to show them in their humanity.

On a more serious note, we also have movies about conversion therapy like Boy Erased, which show us the wrong way to deal with LGBTQ people. So, I think the arts community has an important role to play.

How can parents gain a new perspective on LGBTQ lifestyles and the psychological dangers of rejection? What can we do when parents are unwilling to stop their condemnation? The last thing that LGBTQ kids (and LGBTQ people in general) need is more trauma. I don’t want to paint them as always victims—like anyone, their lives are filled with joy too—but we can’t underestimate how challenging their lives are. While there is growing acceptance for LGBTQ people, they still face immense hurdles, especially in finding welcome in the Church.

In cases where parents refuse to listen to experts or feel that they’re doing something immoral by accepting their children, we must help these kids feel loved by God—and welcome in the Church—any way that we can.

Sister Rose Pacatte, FSP, is the founding director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies in Los Angeles and an award-winning film critic for St. Anthony Messenger. She holds a doctorate of ministry, with a concentration in film and pastoral communication.

StAnthonyMessenger.org / June/July 2022 • 31

Voting Is a Pro-life Issue

By Susan Hines-Brigger

Sister Anita Baird wants to make sure that every person’s vote matters, especially those in the minority.

SISTER ANITA BAIRD, a Daughter of the Heart of Mary, has never been afraid to speak up when it comes to tough topics, especially those related to racial justice. For over 20 years, she has been working to achieve the reality “that all men are created equal” on behalf of those for whom that statement doesn’t necessarily always ring true.

These days, Sister Anita is speaking out about an issue that she says is a fundamental human right but remains challenging for many. That issue is the struggle minorities face when it comes to their voting rights and the concerns surrounding those rights. It is, she says, “a pro-life issue.”

“When you take away people’s power to voice their choices to protect their rights, it has a spiraling impact,” she explains. “It’s not just voting in the booth, but when you talk about systemic issues, when you look at housing, when you look at education, when you look at health care in the midst of COVID-19, we see how unequal access is for people of color. And I think that’s why it’s so important for us to be aware that it’s not just simply casting your ballot, but how it impacts communities that have been disadvantaged for hundreds of years.”

Sister Anita believes the beginning lines of the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights” are some of the most powerful words ever written. She points out, though, that when they were written, they did not really include everyone. The writers, she says, “owned slaves, and they did not consider them full human beings. Women were not included and poor Whites who did not own property were not included. So it was a very narrow frame of ‘all men are created equal.’”

And while such challenges now affect primarily people of color, she believes that over time it will begin to affect others too.

YEARS OF WORK

Sister Anita’s work for racial justice goes back decades. In 2000, she was named founding director of the Office for Racial Justice for the Archdiocese of Chicago by the late Cardinal Francis George. Her role was to direct archdiocesan initiatives to eradicate racism in its structures and institutions. She also served as Cardinal George’s liaison for race relations to the city of Chicago.

She has served as her community’s regional superior, provincial councilor, and as its first Black US provincial. She was president of the National Black Sisters’ Conference from 2001 to 2003.

In 1998, Sister Anita was awarded the Harriet Tubman award from that conference. The yearly award honors one of its members who, through her ministry, is an advocate for Black people and has a strong identity within the Black community.

At the time, she told Global Sisters Report that there is a clear difference between racial equality and racial justice, noting that having only equality and not justice would be as if the Catholic Church’s response to the sexual abuse crisis was to promise it wouldn’t happen again.

In both cases, she says, justice is needed, not simply statements or a desire to move forward. “It took until 1979 until the bishops finally acknowledged racism as a sin,” says Sister Anita, referring to the bishops’ pastoral letter “Brothers and Sisters to Us.”

In 2018, the bishops once again took up the issue of racism with their pastoral letter titled “Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love.” In it, they stated: “As bishops, we unequivocally state that racism is a life issue. . . . We have also seen years of systemic racism working in how resources are allocated to communities that remain de facto segregated.”

When Sister Anita became the first Black woman to win the Outstanding Leadership Award from the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) in 2018, she told the conference that racial justice in the Catholic Church will take “more than just singing ‘Kumbaya.’”

THE IMPORTANCE OF SPEAKING UP

When asked why Catholics should care about this issue, she says it’s not only Catholics. “I don’t know how any Christians can turn a blind eye to the situation, just in

Sister Anita Baird, seen here in Chicago’s St. James Chapel in the Archbishop Quigley Center, has spent most of her life advocating for the rights of the marginalized. One of those issues, she says, is the right to have one’s voice heard through voting.

LEFT: George O’Hara, accompanied by Sister Anita, was one of the founding members of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s anti-racism team.

RIGHT: Sister Anita presents Chicago’s Auxiliary Bishop Joseph N. Perry with the St. Katharine Drexel Racial Justice Award in 2010.

terms of the dignity of the human person and the rights that every human being has to live decently and have access to just basics,” she adds.

Sister Anita says that, as Catholics, “we have to follow the mandate of Jesus. It’s very basic.”

Unfortunately, though, she believes the Catholic Church has been co-opted into the current political frenzy and has not spoken out enough. That voice has been silenced, she states, adding that the bishops are not addressing the issues that are at the heart of people’s daily lives.

Minorities often face challenges when voting. In recent years, a number of states have instituted laws that many feel lead to voter suppression. In response, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act was introduced to Congress. The purpose of the bill is to make voting more accessible and easier for citizens. It addresses issues such as voter registration and voting access, election integrity and security, redistricting, and campaign finance.

The bill was passed by the House in August 2021, but since moving to the Senate it has languished. Sister Anita says that speaks to the division we are facing in our nation. “The whole thing is about winning,” she notes. “It’s sad to see, especially because he was one of their colleagues.”

In response, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2021, the Black Sisters’ Conference, of which Sister Anita is currently the vice president, joined with the LCWR in issuing a statement regarding the sacred right to vote. In it, the sisters pointed out that “the strength and vibrancy of our democracy is dependent on the right of all people to vote regardless of their race, zip code, economic status, or party affiliation.”

Citing the long history of racism with regard to voting rights, the sisters stated: “Our brothers and sisters struggled, some gave their lives, to secure the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It falls to us to continue their work. Pope Francis reminds us in ‘Evangelii Gaudium’ that our vocation as Catholic sisters is inherently political: ‘We are all called to participate in public life. . . . Authentic faith always involves a deep desire to change the world. . . . We cannot remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice.’”

A RESURRECTION PEOPLE

But Sister Anita has hope, and she points out that by the middle of this century, people of color will be in the majority in the United States.

Therefore, she says, steps to make voting more difficult in communities of color, often in lower income neighborhoods, “may backfire. I think sometimes when you push people back against the wall, it gives them more energy. If you tell people they can’t do something, it often gives them the courage and incentive to prove you wrong. There’s always a way around. But I think people have to be motivated and energized.”

Hope is something that as Christians we must continue to have, Sister Anita says. “As dark as these days may seem, I think back to my ancestors, who came over on those slave ships and were separated from family, lost their language, their identity, lived under the brutality of the whip for hundreds of years without seeing an end to it. Somehow, though, they never lost hope, and they never lost trust in God.

“So if they could endure that, certainly I have no right to lose hope today. Much progress has been made. That is very true. We just have to stay the course. As people of the Gospel, we have to believe that, in the end, truth and justice will prevail.”

Moses got to the Promised Land, Sister Anita points out. He wasn’t able to cross into it, but his people did. Similarly, she says, quoting the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., even though we haven’t made it yet, in time, “We will get to the Promised Land.”

Susan Hines-Brigger is an executive editor of this magazine. She has written articles on a number of important topics such as racial issues, sex trafficking, clergy sex abuse, and more.

People in Atlanta demonstrate on June 21, 2021, during a stop on the Freedom Ride For Voting Rights tour, sponsored by Black Voters Matter. It made stops in several southern states on its way to Washington, DC.

KEY TERMS

Two terms that are often bandied about when discussing voting rights are redistricting and gerrymandering. Not everyone knows or understands what those terms mean or what their implications are for voters, though. Here is a brief overview.

REDISTRICTING (REDISTRIBUTION)

This is the way in which electoral districts are added, removed, or otherwise changed. This complicated process occurs every 10 years and is based on census numbers. Once those numbers are released for all 50 states, seats in the US House are handed out accordingly. Through the process, some states will gain or lose seats. Some will keep the same number of seats. Regardless of how the number of seats plays out, though, new districts for congressional and state legislative seats must be drawn to create districts that are equal (or as close as possible) in population.

Where those lines are drawn is often left up to the state legislature. Some states, however, have created commissions—such as a citizens’ commission in California— to do the work and thus avoid having elected officials involved in the process. At times, redistricting plans can end up having to be decided by the courts.

Critics argue that the process has been used to neutralize minority voting power. Supporters, however, say that the process enhances electoral competitiveness.

GERRYMANDERING

When district lines are drawn to benefit one candidate or party over another, that is known as gerrymandering. According to the website FairVote.org, the practice is usually legal but can be challenged. What can be illegal, however, is racial gerrymandering, “which originally referred to manipulating legislative district lines to under-represent racial minorities. Tactics such as ‘packing’ Black voters into a given district or ‘cracking’ them to make Black voters a minority in all districts can be illegal. This sort of gerrymandering was first used in the South after the Civil War to dilute the Black vote.”

The practice is named after Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry, who in 1812 submitted to the state Senate a redistricting plan that would have concentrated the voting strength of the Federalist Party in just a few districts, thereby giving disproportionate representation to the Democratic-Republican Party.

Some of Governor Gerry’s new districts were oddly shaped, with one resembling a salamander, thus giving rise to the term gerrymandering.