Racism rears its ugly head whenever Vincentians are silent. Vincentians of…. Wherever.

In the United States — In England, India, Ireland, Australia — racism is still a problem. Allies of the poor must speak against racism and counter it in all its forms. In an oft cited quote St. Vincent said,

Let us love God, brothers, let us love God, but let it be with the strength of our arms and the sweat of our brows; for very often many acts of love of God, of devotion, and of other similar affections and interior practices of a tender heart, although very good and desirable, are, nevertheless, very suspect if they don’t translate into the practice of effective love. (CCD, 11, p. 32)

Because discrimination based on race almost always finds itself overlayed with economic discrimination and poverty, read this quote by Frederic Ozanam:

The problem which divides people today is not a political problem, it is a social one. It is a matter of knowing which will get the upper hand, the spirit of selfishness or the spirit of sacrifice; whether society will go for ever increasing enjoyment and profit, or for everyone devoting themselves to the general good, and above all to the defense of the weakest.

Many people have too much and want still more. Others do not have enough, or do not have anything at all, and they want to take by force what is not being given to them. A war is threatening between these two groups, and looks like being a terrible one. On one side the power of wealth, on the other the force of desperation. We must get in between these two groups, at least to reduce the impact if we cannot stop it. (Frédéric Ozanam to Louis Janmon, 13, November 1836.)

What if it said this?

The problem which divides people today is not a political problem, it is a racial one. It is a matter of knowing which will get the upper hand, the spirit of selfishness or the spirit of sacrifice; whether society will continue to permit racism to damage its fabric, or for everyone devoting themselves to the general good, and above all to the struggle against racism.

Many people have too much and want still more. Others do not have enough, or do not have anything at all, because others discriminate against them to secure their own economic stability. A war is threatening between these two groups, and looks like being a terrible one. On one side the unacknowledged power of racial privilege, on the other the force of desperation. We must get in between these two groups, at least to expose the truth, even if we cannot stop it.

Action, not words matter. Prepare yourself to counter this structural and personal sin. What will you do?

Read these .famvin articles.

Familiarize yourself with the Catholic tradition.