“I must now to address the one who says, ‘don’t hold me responsible for what my ancestors did.’ But you have enjoyed the benefits of what your ancestors did! And unless you are ready to give up the benefits — Throw away your 401 fund! [sic] Throw away your trust fund! Throw away all the money that been put away in the company you walked into ‘cause your daddy and your granddaddy and your great granddaddy —
Unless you are willing to give up the benefits, then you must be responsible for what was done in your generation! ‘Cause you are the beneficiary of this insurance policy! expose white entitlement. And supremacy, wherever it raises its head. I said before, I really don’t want to make this political, because you know I’m really very unpolitical. . . .
She wasn’t the only one crying, there was a whole lot of white people crying!”
-Rev. Michael Pfleger
Father Pfleger’s words are racist – pointed at one race. He has been universally condemned for his racist rant – everywhere on You Tube and in the media. There was a great deal of outcry. Father Pfleger was removed as Pastor of St. Sabina Catholic Church, by Cardinal George. Cardinal George established an Office of Racial Justice in the wake of the racist beating of Lenard Clark. The Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office of Racial Justice has this mission statement:
The core mission of the Office is to address the sin of racism by providing parishes and schools with the tools to initiate and enhance their efforts to combat racism
There was no statement of condemnation from The Office of Racial Justice, nor its Director Sr. Anita Baird. Sr. Anita Baird wrote an Op Ed piece in the Daily Southtown on March 9, 2006 that blamed the closing of Catholic Schools on ‘White Flight.’
I must ask the question: Would things somehow be different if, as Catholics, we would choose to live together in all areas of the city, working to create culturally diverse communities without regard to race, religion or class because this is who we are and what we are called to witness to as members of the Body of Christ?Yes, Sister, they would be very different. There would be No White Flight; therefore, there would be white neighborhoods. Unless of course you are arguing for a quota of blacks, whites, Hispanics in equal proportion, but who would decide to live where and with whom? However, white Catholics support black Catholic schools, by a great majority. It is not the other way around, because there are very few black Catholics.
Would Pastor Wright continue to live in predominantly white Catholic Beverly?
Or, would he move to predominantly white Catholic Tinley Park outside
of the City of Chicago?
Here is an easy one. Where is you statement condemning Father Pfleger’s recent sin of racism? Or, is Father Pfleger merely being chastised for mentioning Hillary Clinton. Father Pfleger apologized to his parishioners at St. Sabina Church on Sunday, but it was not his parishioners that were ‘hurt’ by his racist rant. Where is Sr. Anita Baird?
Please step forward, Sr. Anita, and join in condemning racism wherever it may exist.