Black and Catholic: Racism, Identity, and Religion by Tia Noelle Pratt
“There are no Black Catholics.” This is a myth that has fueled the systemic and religious oppression of African Americans who practice Catholicism. Tia Noelle Pratt’s Black and Catholic explores the exclusion, erasure, and racism faced by Black Catholics, filling a gap in literature, history, and understanding of both U.S. Catholicism and African American religion.
Black and Catholic identifies the nature of marginalization of the Black Catholic community while also amplifying their voices and experiences. Pratt fueled her investigations with conviction to celebrate being a Black Catholic, meaning that one is authentic to their being and brings their history, traditions, African American song and dance, and preaching and healing as a gift to the church. The Black Catholic community has developed a culture from their faith that is rooted in their experiences and has informed the history of Catholicism in the U.S. and African American religion.
“Rooted in her own experience, the author lays bare the painful erasure of Black Catholics historically and systemic racism that continues to mark the institutional church today,” Tricia Colleen Bruce, author of Parish and Place, said. “Through adaptive liturgy, community, and deep faith, Black Catholics remake the church as their own and U.S. Catholicism as a rich repository of identity, resilience, and enduring witness—a story long overdue.”
Tia Noelle Pratt is assistant vice president and director of mission engagement and strategic initiatives in the Office for Mission and Ministry and assistant professor of sociology at Villanova University. Pratt debunks the myth and brings forward the religious experiences and culture of Black Catholics in a means of placing the Black Catholic community at the center. Her book reaches a personal and emotional level that breaks down the heartache of racism and discrimination, the strength of generations of believers, and the celebration from combining the music and traditions of African American religious experiences with the belief and rituals of Roman Catholicism.
Black and Catholic will be released on September 1, 2025. For more information, or to request an advance review copy, contact Katie Campbell, kcampbe9@nd.edu, 574-631-4909.
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