Dunbar Library | Photo by Monica Brutto | The Wright State Guardian
Wright State University held the annual Piediscalzi lecture on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023, in the Discovery Room of the Student Union, with Dr. Shannen Dee Williams, an associate professor at the University of Dayton. The lecture was “American’s Real Sister Act: The Hidden History of Black Catholic Nuns in the United States.”
About the lecture and book
Williams published the book “Subversive Habits: Black Catholic Nuns in the Long African American Freedom Struggle.”
In the words of Williams, the book traces the history of the fight for racial, educational and gender justice from Black Catholic nuns’ fiercely contested battles in the 19th century slave south up until the present day. It also demonstrates that religious life for women in the Roman Catholic Church was a stronghold of white supremacy and exclusion and thus also an important battle ground in the long African American freedom struggle.
“‘Subversive Habits’ reveals that there has always been an articulation of Catholicism that understood that the lives, souls and futures of Black people matter. Their story embodies the fundamental truth that Black history is Catholic history and reminds us that there are two transatlantic stories of American Catholicism, one that begins in Europe, and one begins with those that were forcibly transported to the Americas due to the transatlantic slave trade,” Williams said.
The talk focused on the story of America’s real sisters, and more specifically, the story of how generations of African American girls fought against racism, sexism and exclusion to minister as women of God in the Catholic Church.
“The history of Black Catholic sisters not only matters, but is essential to understanding the American Catholic experience. My talk focused on revealing so much of American Catholic history and African American history,” Williams said.
Post-lecture discussion
After the talk, Williams voiced several issues that the speaker believed should continue in discourse. For many people, Black Catholics are seen as anomalies or myths, and there is a lack of understanding in the overlap of Black Catholic history and American Catholic history, according to Williams.
“The African foundations of American Catholicism are essential to our understanding of our Church’s ongoing struggle to be a living witness for all people and to eradicate the set of racism and exclusion of its boundaries as a universal church,” Williams said.
A reflective moment
Attendees of Williams’ talk also voiced opinions on the talk as well as the subject matter.
“The way she said it was so good. I think it was important to see the racism that exists in the Catholic community and how Black women have been suppressed,” Heidi Ames, a senior English major, said.
Dr. Valerie Stoker, a WSU professor of religion, also expressed a professional view of the talk.
“I thought Dr. Williams did an excellent job demonstrating why the profession of history is so important, that there are a lot of current realities that have been shaped by past events, and it's very important for us to bring those past events to light so we can understand where we are in the present,” Stoker said.
