Our Commitment this Black History Month, from Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy

Over the last 15 years, CMN’s work to transform the U.S. criminal legal system has led us to grapple with the legacy of racism in which it’s rooted.

We have learned the clear connections between the history of racial terror lynchings in the U.S. and the modern-day system of capital punishment that still exists in this country. These connections feel especially pertinent to acknowledge in this important time of Black History Month.

CMN is committed to doing our part to untangle the racist roots of our criminal legal system and its disproportionate impact on Black people and communities of color. CMN is equally committed to exploring how the practices of restorative justice can offer every one of us opportunities to advance racial reckoning in our communities and to create pathways toward healing.

In 2022, CMN journeyed with its first group of 33 National Catholic Ministry leaders to Montgomery and Selma, Alabama to witness landmarks of racial violence and resilience. This powerful experience offered a window into our nation’s history with the domestic slave trade as well as the Civil Rights Movement. It was truly a life changing trip for all of us. We knew this kind of experience was something CMN needed to share with others.

Since then, CMN has hosted eight delegations of national Catholic ministry leaders. Over the course of three days, participants unpack the legacy of our nation’s history of slavery, lynching, and segregation; they explore how racism is made manifest today; and they discern — through intentional encounters, deep prayer, and rich dialogue — how each of us is called to respond.

Today, I invite you to explore how racism is an affront to the dignity of life and how it continues to permeate our criminal legal system, especially the system of capital punishment.

And, I hope you’ll consider joining us one day in Montgomery and Selma. You can learn more about those opportunities here.

Together we are learners on this journey.