Catholic Civil Rights Leaders
1. Sr. Mary Antona Ebo
A convert to Catholicism, a registered nurse, a member of the Franciscan Sisters of Mary, and later a hospital administrator, Sr. Mary Ebo also joined Martin Luther King Jr. in his march in Selma in 1965. She would later serve as the president of the National Black Sisters’ Conference and would receive the Harriet Tubman award for service and leadership. You can find out more about her here!
2. Homer Plessy
Many of us learned about the famous Plessy vs. Ferguson supreme court case that unfortunately established the unjust “separate but equal” laws. What is lost is who exactly Plessy was and how this case was brought forward. Similar to Rosa Parks sitting in the whites-only section of the bus, Plessy bought a ticket to the “whites only” section of train car and proceeded to sit down. Upon arrest, Plessy challenged the law all the way to the Supreme Court. Despite Plessy losing the case, showing there was still a long way to go for equality, it showed his courage to stand up for justice.
3. Mathew Ahmann
A Catholic layman who spoke just before Dr. King’s famous “I have a dream” speech in Washington. He moved from Minnesota to Chicago to attend grad school, but paused his studies to work for racial justice, serving as director of the Chicago Catholic Interracial Council. He would go on to found and lead the National Catholic Council for Interracial Justice as well. Here is a well-written obituary from the Chicago Tribune.
4. Viola Liuzzo
Considered a “martyr of the civil rights movement,” Viola was a devout Catholic mother from Detroit who traveled South to drive supporters of the marches. In doing so, members of the KKK drove alongside her car and shot her. Despite the failure in the courts to convict those responsible, the civil rights movement more support in order to bring about some change.
5. Fr. Maurice Ouellett
Born in Vermont, Fr. Maurice joined the Society of St. Edmond. He was transferred to a parish in Mobile, Alabama, then to Houston, Texas, then back to Mobile. Here, he experienced the Civil Rights Movement up close, serving parishioners and marchers and befriending John Lewis and King. He died only recently and more information can be found here.