Diocesan Resources
Racism and Housing - Spanish
Racism and Housing - Spanish
In the November 2018 Pastoral Letter Against racism, Open Wide Our Hearts, the Catholic bishops of the United States urge all Catholics to acknowledge “the scourge of racism” that still exists in our hearts, words, actions, and institutions. Racism can be individual, when persons fail to recognize certain groups as created in the image of God and equal in dignity, or it can be systemic, where practices or policies treat certain groups of people unjustly. One area of systemic racism is unequal access to decent housing.
Decent housing is a basic human right— deserved by all due to their dignity as being created in God’s image. Without decent, safe, and affordable housing, all aspects of family life suffer, and a life of dignity is impossible. Yet an affordable housing crisis is a current reality in the U.S. and, for minorities, it has been a reality throughout the nation’s history.