February is Black History Month. The past few weeks we have reflected and compiled a series of resources to help us better grow in knowledge of such a powerful month. Black History Month is the brainchild of Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard-trained historian. It began in 1926 as “Negro History Week.” In February both Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglass share a birthday during the same week, and that week was chosen to celebrate the accomplishments of “Negroes in America.” “Negro History Week” was expanded to Black History Month by President Gerald R. Ford in 1976, the Bicentennial of the United States of America. Click here to learn more about Black History Month.

FEATURED RESOURCES:

Our very own Darnell St. Romain, and his twin brother Darrell St. Romain, have written about the history of Black Catholics in the United States of America.

In this article, the twin brothers write about the numerous gifts that Black Catholics bring to the Catholic Church in the United States of America.

While there are no official Black American Saints, this resource below provides profiles of African Saints and American Saints who have spent their lives serving the Black Catholic Community in America.

This article highlights the Black men and women who are on the road to Sainthood. Check out Sister Thea Bowman-- She is one of our favorites!

This series from The Archdiocese of Washington D. C. (where the ordinary is the First Black Cardinal in the United States) offers insights from Black Catholics about what it means to be both Black and Catholic and the struggle for equality in the face of racism. Please take time to read the story of Mgsr. Ray East, who was graduated from The University of Dallas in the 1970s and was a classmate of Fr. Tom!