Religion, Race, and Rights in Catholic Louisiana, 1938-1970

Away from the traditionally understood flashpoints and well-known actors within the civil rights struggle, South Louisiana and its most significant social and religious institution offer an essential case for examining the complex interplay of religion and racial consciousness in the twentieth century south. Tracing the religious sources of progressive activism and conservative reaction in the region, I argue that Catholicism, as both an institution and an ideology, decisively shaped how Louisianans, both African American and white, understood and acted upon the mid-century struggle for human rights. From unionization and voter registration efforts among black Catholic communities in the 1940s to the integration of Catholic institutions and the white backlash that followed, the Catholic experience in Louisiana encapsulated a variety of social and political conflicts. Into these confrontations, Louisiana Catholics wove intense religious struggles over the nature of religious authority, spiritual fulfillment, and social liberation. A close study of their experience reveals in important ways both the complexity and the intensity of the larger struggle over the meaning of race in twentieth century America.