A few my postings in the last couple of days have been on the issue of race and reparations. Slavery, being one of the ugliest episodes in our history, remains a sore point. Blacks are angry, whites get defensive and no one's happy. A conversation about slavery needs to take place because it is the elephant in the living room that has just given birth to twins. However, as we saw on the posts below, such conversations are unlikely now as they probably may be in the future.

In my line of work though, I have had the good fortune of coming across the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. This a $110 million center scheduled to open in Cincinnati next year. it is going to be a museum about the Underground Railroad, but actually, much more than that. It is going to be an educational center and do a lot of great things.

In talking with the CEO he made what I consider a hugely significant point. Slavery is difficult to talk about because ot the emotions that accompany it. While there are some Americans who would rather bury the issue, most well meaning people are willing to address it, the problem is that the right environment is lacking. Black people feel that they need to be angry at something for the injustices done and often there is no legitimate outlet for this anger so it is directed at white Americans. Many white Americans want to be involved in issues of racial justice but they sense that it is a powder keg issue and do not want to risk being the object of black anger, especially when they only want to help.

However, the underground railroad was a unifying event and something that all races can be proud of, because in contrast to slavery, it represents the best of humanity and our nation. It involved both blacks and whites and virtually, people of all Christian denominations. Now, this gentleman who spoke with me said that the underground railroad, as he has seen in preparation for the Center, also makes it much easier for blacks and whites to have that necessary conversation about slavery and race, that is so badly needed. Many blacks see, in the underground railroad, how many white people risked their lives to save them and white people can point to numerous abolitionist specific activities of whites and also get to understand the natural anger of black people without feeling they are being demonized.

Archbishop Pilarczyk of Cincinnati (see his lecture here on racial justice) has voiced enthusiastic support for the project and I believe that the Archdiocese of Cincinnati may even have made a contribution to the Center.

From what I understand, the Archbishop has made a point to note that Catholics were a somewhat slow to the game and this is a great way for Catholics to make up for our lack of historical action in this regard.

It is true that the abolitionsist were mostly anti-Catholic and thus were not sanguine about working with Catholics, it however, does not absolve the Catholic Church for its sometimes open, sometimes tacit approval of slavery or reticence at the injustices of the past.

Hopefully, Catholic groups, diocese and parishes would use this center to at least begin to talk about these issues and some healing can begin on this festering wound.