Was first Catholic black priest black enough? [ChiTrib]

[rlg94086]

He went to Europe for his doctorate and priesthood ordination. Now, one could always argue that his racial background had nothing to do with it, but given the context of 19th-century America, to discount race is pretty disingenuous. And the fact the he could pass for ‘white’, once he returns from Europe (“Oh, he must be from southern France!”), means that he could be easily accepted as president of a major university. You do know that Black people were not even accepted as students to most universities at this time, right?

You are making assumptions. I never argued that the effects of his ethnicity should be discounted when looking at his biography. What I have said is that he seemed to reject racial classification.

From what I understand, he did go to Europe due to discrimination he encountered in the US. Do you have any evidence that he hid his race from his superiors at Georgetown? If that were true, then you would have a case. From what I have read, he did not hide his ancestory from his superiors.

It is true that he benefited from the assumption of many that he was ‘white,’ but you are making unsubstantiated claims about his motives and actions.