Olga Segura

Watch: NCR Opinion & Culture Editor Olga Segura moderates a conversation about the 2022 Oscars with Jose Solís and Sr. Rose Pacatte.

Analysis: Theologians and clergy gathered for the 2021 Black Catholic Theological Symposium at the University of Notre Dame Oct. 7-9; speakers affirmed the activism of Black Lives Matter and called for an embrace of an "authentically Black and radical" Catholic tradition.

Kanye West's music kept me focused during what felt like the darkest moments of my life. But it's hard to make sense of my affection for his work and what it means to hold male Black and brown creators accountable when they become reactionaries or fail to unlearn toxic conditioning.

The past year all of us have watched, and re-watched, countless shows or movies, listened and re-listened to new and old artists. Yet each of us has that one piece of pop culture that became a kind of pandemic safety blanket. 

Excerpt: "Black Catholics want to feel heard; they want a church that reflects and uplifts them toward liberation; a church that cares about their spiritual and physical lives — a church that atones."

What Now?: We cannot move forward until we collectively mourn the countless American lives lost this year, including grappling with the ways capitalism has directly contributed to the various crises of 2020.

NCR Connections: There is an abyss in our church, and it is because the bishops, collectively, and other leaders in the church are not listening to the true needs and desires of marginalized communities.

Commentary: Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors have actively and consistently condemned the violence and oppression affecting our country's most marginalized, the very evils our church calls on us to condemn.

Commentary: What example do Catholic leaders set when they seem to align themselves publicly with Trump? Or when the bishops' conference releases statements addressing racial inequalities without any action plan?