Wisdom Wednesday is on a relaxed schedule during February, a vacation period for the main contributor to this feature, Paul Leingang. We will have a feature story or two each week, along with suggestions for places on the web to find topical news.
Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, the event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history.
The Black History Month 2022 theme, Black Health and Wellness, explores “the legacy of not only Black scholars and medical practitioners in Western medicine, but also other ways of knowing (e.g., birthworkers, doulas, midwives, naturopaths, herbalists, etc.) throughout the African Diaspora. The 2022 theme considers activities, rituals and initiatives that Black communities have done to be well.” One site to visit is the History Channel.
Did you know? Black Catholic sculptor Edmonia “Wildfire” Lewis is the latest of four Black Catholics to be featured on postage stamps in the USPS Black Heritage series. Her image will mark the 45th in the series—and just the fourth Catholic featured, following Jean Baptist Point du Sable, Lena Horne and Gregory Hines.
A Brooklyn pastor, who died on Christmas Day, is remembered as the first Black priest at Our Lady of Victory parish. Father Martin Carter’s impact is recalled in the following obituary, a loving tribute. The writer says,
If you stayed around Fr. Carter long enough, that spirit of the living God would change you; fix you; melt you; mold you; and want you to be a child of that living God as well.”
Looking for more news? Here are some suggestions:
- For Catholic news from a Black perspective, visit the Black Catholic Messenger.
- Today’s American Catholic is a journal of inquiry, reflection, and opinion.