These essays describe the experience of black Catholics in this country since their arrival in North America in the sixteenth century until the present day. The essays highlight the difficulties black Catholics faced in their early attempts to join churches and enter religious communities, their participation in the civil rights struggle, and the challenges they face today as they seek full inclusion in the church, whether in terms of liturgical practice or pastoral ministry.
The five parts--history, theology, ethics, pastoral ministry, and pan-African concerns--include essays by Albert J. Raboteau, Diane Batts Morrow, Cyprian Davis, Cecilia A. Moore, Katrina M. Sanders, LaReine-Marie Moseley, Jamie T. Phelps, Diana L. Hayes, Bryan N. Massingale, Wilton D. Gregory, Kevin P. Johnson, Paulinus I. Odozor, Clarence Williams, and M. Shawn Copeland.