Black Churches, Black Catholics: Exploring a Groundbreaking New Survey from Pew Research

Black Christians have played an outsized role in the nation’s religious, as well as political and social, life despite America’s brutal legacy of systemic racism. That role has been sharpened by the response of the Black churches to America’s recent upheavals and elections.

The Pew Research Center recently released the largest-ever survey of Black believers in the United States titled, “Faith Among Black Americans.” Its findings provide critical insights into the present and future dynamics of the Black churches—as well as surprising facts about Black Catholics in particular.

This webinar will feature an overview of the data by the study’s lead researcher, plus a discussion with leading experts on Black Catholicism. We will also field questions from our online audience.

Panelists

Besheer Mohamed, Ph.D., is a senior researcher at Pew Research Center and one of the principal authors of the new report.

Kiana Cox, Ph.D., is a research associate at Pew Research Center and a principal author of the new report.

Tia Noelle Pratt, Ph.D., is a sociologist of religion specializing in the ways systemic racism affects Black Catholic identity. She received her doctorate in sociology from Fordham University in 2010. She is the president of TNPratt & Associates, an inclusion and diversity consulting firm in Philadelphia, and she is the curator of the #BlackCatholicsSyllabus. She is currently working on a book, Faithful and Devoted: Racism and Identity in the African-American Catholic Experience.

Bryan Massingale, S.T.D., is a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, a professor of theological and social ethics, and the James and Nancy Buckman Chair in Applied Christian Ethics at Fordham University. His most recent book is Racial Justice and the Catholic Church. His current writing projects explore the contributions of Black radicalism to Catholic theology and the intersections of race, sexuality, and faith.

David Gibson, director of Fordham’s Center on Religion and Culture, will moderate the discussion, including questions from the online audience.

This event is part of an ongoing series, Race & Faith, in collaboration with Fordham’s Office of Campus Ministry.