In May of 1890, The Christian Solider, an African American newspaper, identified the Catholic journalist and activist Daniel Arthur Rudd as the “greatest negro Catholic in America.” Yet many Catholics today are unaware of Rudd's efforts to bring about positive social change during the early decades of the Jim Crow era. In Daniel Rudd: Calling a Church to Justice, Gary Agee offers a compelling look at the life and work of this visionary who found inspiration in his Catholic faith to fight for the principles of liberty and justice. Born into slavery, Rudd achieved success early on as the publisher of the American Catholic Tribune, one of the most successful black newspapers of its era, and as the founder of the National Black Catholic Congress.
Even as Rudd urged his fellow black Catholics to maintain their spiritual home within the fold of the Catholic Church, he called on that same church to live up what he believed to be her cardinal teaching, "the Fatherhood of God and Brotherhood of Man." Rudd’s hopeful spirit lives on today in the important work of the National Black Catholic Congress, as it carries forward his pursuit of social justice.
Industry Reviews
Daniel Rudd: Calling a Church to Justice is an engaging introduction for those who have never heard of Daniel Rudd and a fascinating study for those who already know a good deal about the man and his mission. Using Daniel Rudd's newspaper, The American Catholic Tribune, as his primary source, Gary Agee allows readers to hear in Rudd's own words why he was committed both to the Catholic Church and the African American community, and learn how Rudd came to his absolute conviction that Catholicism truly lived, understood, and applied was the best chance for justice for people of African descent in the United States. Daniel Rudd is one of the most intriguing and inspiring U.S. Catholics of the 19th century. Agee's book helps us to see why this is so.Cecilia A. Moore, University of Dayton
