Prelate ponders changes since Civil Rights movement
August 26, 2014
Reflecting on his own life and changes in American society since the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta said that “as a bishop in the South today, I marvel at the progress that has been made as I hear people from my own generation describe the life they once knew.”
“They often express concern that their own children who never lived under the oppressive restrictions of segregation will now forget the forces of dedication and the sacrificial offerings of those whose tenacious pursuit of Civil Rights laid the foundation for today’s freedoms,” he added. “These oldsters view today’s eruptions of vulgar language and violent social conflicts through the lenses of those who cannot remember when such language and conduct were condoned, even considered mainstream.”
“As a youngster from the North,” he added, “I knew that the North also had the very same defects, but in a much more subversive manner … What was most painful for me as a young man in those days of struggle were the hateful voices in the North that belonged to Catholics who denounced the advancement of social justice.”
For all current news, visit our News home page.
Further information:
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
