Black History Month - 2025 by Fr. Matthew Hawkins
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Pastoral Message: Black History MonthFebruary 2
Black History Month offers an opportunity to delve deeper into the rich heritage of the African American experience. Beyond celebrating a few iconic figures, it invites us to explore the classical traditions that shaped the community, traditions rooted in faith, resilience, and a profound spiritual heritage.
Central to this heritage are the Spirituals, those soul-stirring songs that emerged from the crucible of suffering and hope. Sung a cappella, they stand as a testament to collective strength, resisting the radical individualism that often marks modern performance. The power of the Spirituals lies in their communal nature; they demand harmony, cooperation, and a shared vision. These songs express human paradoxes—joy amid sorrow, freedom amidst bondage—resolving them in the profound encounter between the heavenly and the worldly.
This tradition finds its voice in the works of Paul Laurence Dunbar, Ralph Ellison, and August Wilson in literature. Dunbar navigated the delicate balance between vernacular expression and classical poetic forms, illustrating the dual consciousness that has long defined the African American experience. Ellison and Wilson further explored themes of identity, culture, and resilience, giving voice to the struggles and triumphs of a people whose lives embody the tension between tradition and innovation.
The classical tradition is equally evident in the lives of figures like Fr. Augustus Tolton, Henriette DeLille, Julia Greeley, Pierre Toussaint, Sister Thea Bowman, and Mother Mary Lange. These individuals, deeply rooted in their faith, demonstrated the universality of the Catholic Church while celebrating the distinct cultural expressions of the African diaspora. Their lives were acts of spiritual and cultural bridge-building, uniting diverse traditions under a shared banner of faith and dignity.
Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King Jr. exemplified this heritage in social and political action. Douglass, though not explicitly religious in his later years, embodied the dignity of enslaved people and used moral suasion to advocate for justice. King elevated the civil rights movement into a moral and spiritual call for the transformation of both the oppressed and the oppressor, drawing from the wellspring of the African American religious tradition.
The performing arts also reflect this legacy. Actors like Sidney Poitier, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Esther Rolle, and John Amos brought classical dramatic skills to their work, while Paul Robeson and Marian Anderson carried forward the Spirituals’ legacy with dignity and grace. Jazz musicians such as Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, and John Coltrane drew on this deep reservoir of spiritual and cultural heritage, transforming it into innovative forms of expression. Mingus infused his compositions with the essence of gospel music, Monk relied on precision and intellect, and Coltrane sought transcendence through meditative soundscapes.
This tradition continues today, embodied in places like the choir at St. Benedict the Moor. Expanding this choir to include a broader spectrum of African and African diasporan music will ensure that this classical tradition remains vibrant in our liturgical celebrations.
To truly understand Black History Month, one must appreciate the spiritual and classical heritage at its core. It is this culture and faith, deeply rooted in community, that produced the extraordinary men and women we honor—not only in February but throughout the year. Exploring this tradition is not just an act of remembrance; it’s a step toward embracing the enduring legacy of African American culture. -
The Classical Tradition in African American CultureFebruary 16
Music and Art as Expressions of the Soul and Intellect Black History Month is an excellent time to acknowledge the classical tradition in African American culture, which approaches music and art not merely as forms of entertainment but as expressions of deep theological, philosophical, and existential truths. Music and art are means of engaging with suffering, divine justice, and the ultimate order of the universe, touching both the soul and intellect. This tradition is particularly evident in Negro spirituals, which—far from being simple folk songs—carry profound reflections on God, justice, human dignity, and the moral order of the world.
One of the most striking aspects of spirituals is their parallel to Augustinian and Thomistic thought. St. Augustine, in his City of God, acknowledges the brokenness of the world while affirming the hope of divine justice and ultimate redemption. Similarly, spirituals such as Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen and There Is a Balm in Gilead articulate the paradox of suffering and grace, a theme central to Augustinian theology. The lyrics of these songs recognize the deep pain of oppression, yet they do not fall into despair. Instead, they affirm the transformative power of divine grace, much like Augustine’s own journey from suffering and sin to redemption. There Is a Balm in Gilead, in particular, speaks directly to the healing power of divine love, echoing Augustine’s understanding that true healing and peace are found only in God.
This theological depth extends to natural law and Thomistic moral philosophy, particularly in spirituals that cry out for justice. St. Thomas Aquinas, following Aristotle, argued that there is a moral order embedded in creation—natural law—that transcends human power and must ultimately prevail. Many Negro spirituals express this same conviction: God’s justice is written into the order of the universe and will triumph over injustice. Go Down, Moses serves as a striking example of this Thomistic principle. It tells the story of the Exodus, where divine law overrides Pharaoh’s unjust rule. This spiritual is not just a song about Israel’s past—it is a moral argument grounded in natural law. Enslaved Africans, like Aquinas, understood that human dignity is not granted by earthly rulers but is part of God’s eternal design.
Aquinas also maintained that a law that contradicts God’s justice is no true law at all. This Thomistic reasoning is embedded in spirituals that cry for freedom. The spiritual tradition understands that human oppression is contrary to the divine moral order and that liberation is not merely a political desire but a moral necessity. Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel? reinforces this idea: if God delivered Daniel, Israel, and countless others, then justice for the oppressed is inevitable.
Thus, the classical tradition in African American culture does not separate music from meaning or art from intellect. These traditions embrace the idea that music and art carry eternal truths, uplift the spirit, and refine the intellect. In the Negro spiritual, we find not just melody, but theology, moral philosophy, and metaphysical reflection—a timeless witness to the dignity of the human person and the certainty of divine justice.
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Mary Lou Williams & Sr. Thea Bowman and the African American Classical TraditionFebruary 9
Mary Lou Williams and Sister Thea Bowman embodied the African American classical tradition through their mastery of their respective fields, their commitment to intellectual and artistic excellence, their integration of spirituality and aesthetics, and their role as cultural educators and bridge-builders. They upheld and advanced Black artistic and intellectual traditions within the Catholic Church and the broader American cultural landscape, ensuring that Black voices and contributions were recognized and valued.
The classical tradition in African American culture emphasizes discipline, mastery, and the refinement of artistic and intellectual gifts. Mary Lou Williams was a virtuoso jazz pianist and composer who intensely studied and shaped jazz as an evolving art form, treating it with the same seriousness and depth as European classical music. She engaged with tradition while innovating within it, much like classical composers did. Sister Thea Bowman was a scholar of literature and linguistics, a highly trained educator, and a compelling speaker. She insisted on intellectual rigor in Black Catholic spirituality, ensuring that faith and culture were engaged with depth and authenticity.
In the classical African American tradition, art is not simply for entertainment but is often an expression of something deeper—whether it be spiritual, communal, or intellectual. Williams' jazz compositions fused sacred music with the rich traditions of Black American music, treating jazz as an intellectual and spiritual art form rather than mere entertainment. Bowman integrated Black spirituals and Gospel music into Catholic liturgy, elevating them as serious, dignified expressions of faith and heritage rather than marginal or secondary.
The classical tradition in African American culture values the role of educators and mentors who pass down knowledge and cultivate the next generation. Williams mentored jazz musicians, including Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell, ensuring that jazz’s artistic and cultural legacy endured. As a professor and public speaker, Bowman taught Black and white Catholics about Black history, literature, and spirituality, helping preserve and elevate Black Catholic culture within the Church.
The African American classical tradition aims to transcend social barriers, asserting the dignity of Black culture within broader intellectual and artistic circles. Williams’ music was embraced beyond racial boundaries, with her compositions and performances respected within the jazz world and the Catholic Church. Bowman addressed the U.S. bishops and spoke internationally, bringing the richness of Black Catholic spirituality to a wider audience.
Figures in the classical African American tradition faced resistance in their efforts to claim space within institutions that historically marginalized Black contributions and within the Black community itself that often succumbed to a distorted image of itself as irrational and lacking dignity. Williams had to fight for jazz’s recognition as a serious musical form within the Church and among traditionalist Catholics who viewed jazz as profane. Bowman faced resistance from both Black and white Catholics—some Black Catholics saw her approach as too accommodating to European values and standards. In contrast, many white Catholics resisted incorporating the dignity of African American spirituality into the mainstream of Catholic worship.
Ultimately, Bowman and Williams were pioneers who used their gifts to bring about greater appreciation for Catholicism among Black Americans and appreciation for African American spirituality in the Catholic Church. -
The African American Classical Tradition: Tension, Time, and Order in Blues & JazzFebruary 23
The African American classical tradition, particularly in blues and jazz, explores the profound tension between human agency and fate. This struggle—one between freedom and inevitability, between choice and circumstance—is a central theme in Blues lyrics, which wrestle with loss, suffering, and the unpredictable nature of life. At the same time, the structure and improvisational techniques in jazz and blues echo philosophical and theological traditions, particularly those of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, who considered the nature of time, free will, and divine order.
The Blues tradition is steeped in the existential problem of fate. The lyrics of classic Blues songs often reflect resignation and defiance simultaneously, portraying a world in which hardship is inevitable, yet the human spirit persists in seeking joy and meaning. Songs like Hellhound on My Trail by Robert Johnson or Love in Vain express the tension between human effort and forces beyond one’s control—whether these be destiny, heartbreak, or the cruel hand of life itself. In this way, the Blues parallel Greek tragedy, where fate is often inescapable, but the individual still struggles to assert their will within the confines of necessity.
The repetition and variation found in Blues composition and jazz improvisation reflect St. Augustine’s fluid and subjective understanding of time. Augustine argued in Confessions that time is not a rigid sequence of past, present, and future, but rather a lived experience that exists in the mind and memory. Similarly, Blues and jazz structures layer past musical phrases into present variations, creating a sense of circular time, where themes recur but are never exactly the same. The way a jazz musician returns to a motif but transforms it through improvisation mirrors Augustine’s idea that memory shapes our experience of the present, and that time itself is less linear than it seems. This is why listening to jazz can feel like remembering and discovering at the same time—it is both a reflection on the past and an anticipation of what is to come.
Despite its association with improvisation and spontaneity, jazz has an internal order and structure, much like St. Thomas Aquinas’s vision of the cosmos. Aquinas believed that while creation is full of diversity and freedom, it is also governed by rational principles and divine harmony. Similarly, jazz appears chaotic to the untrained ear, but it is built on chord structures, voice leading, and harmonic resolutions that provide a framework for expression. Musicians must understand these rules in order to break them effectively. This balance between freedom and structure, between improvisation and order, reflects Aquinas’s view of the universe as both dynamic and ordered, full of motion yet directed toward a coherent whole.
Moreover, jazz harmony, counterpoint, and chord substitutions align with classical traditions in music across cultures. African American musicians inherited and transformed the harmonic principles found in European classical music, integrating them with West African rhythmic traditions and American improvisational styles. The use of substituted chords, voice leading, and complex progressions in jazz composition demonstrates the same intellectual rigor found in Beethoven’s sonatas, Indian raga structures, or the contrapuntal mastery of Bach.
Thus, the African American classical tradition is both a philosophical and musical journey, one that embraces the paradox of fate and free will, the passage of time, and the necessity of structure within freedom. In this way, Blues and jazz are not just musical forms—they are meditations on the human condition, much like the theological and philosophical works of Augustine and Aquinas.
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