Diocesan Resources
Racism and Voting
Racism and Voting
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 and likeness of God and equal in dignity, or it can be systemic, where practices or policies treat certain groups of people unjustly. One example of systemic racism is lack of access to the vote for some communities of color.
The Church teaches that all persons have both a legal right and a responsibility to have their voice heard in the public square to promote human dignity and the common good of society. As people of faith, we have the obligation to help shape the moral character of society by voting and other acts of public participation. We also must act to ensure that the right to vote is protected for all citizens. This has often been threatened for many minorities in the U.S.