FAST AND PRAY AS BLACKS FIGHT FOR JUSTICE

First Sunday of Lent

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written: ‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.’ Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.

(Mt. 4:1-2,10-11: 

As we move from Black History Month to Lent, Matthew’s Gospel admonishes us to worship and serve the Lord alone. Whitewashing history is a disturbing trend (Angelo Villagomez, 2025; Brazile, 2025) (Annette Gordon-Reed, August) (Moralidad, 2026) (Prentice, 2026). If a people’s history is forgotten, any narrative may replace it, often appearing as nationalism, forgetting or ignoring that all are created in the image and likeness of God. Genesis tells of Adam and Eve, the beginnings of human history. A dictionary definition of history is “a chronological record of events, as of the life or development of a people…often including an explanation of or commentary on those events.” (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 2022) History is written from the perspectives of the writers. Which stories are told, from whose perspectives, depends upon who tells them. One hundred years ago, Negro History Week set about to broaden those perspectives.

Historians utilize eye-witness accounts and first-hand testimony. direct evidence of events (manuscripts, journals, diaries, letters, hand-written notes, autobiographies, memoirs, oral history traditions), newspaper accounts, radio and television broadcast recordings/transcripts, reports to analyze and interpret events. Understandings are continually revised as new information comes to light. Historians seek deeper meanings and context, and the historical record becomes clearer. (Thomson Gale, Publisher, n.d.)

Journalism is called the “first rough draft of history.” Freedom’s Journal, the first Black-owned newspaper in the U.S., started in New York City in 1827 (Library of Congress, n.d.). More than 3,000 Black-owned newspapers have come and gone, with more than 1,876 in publication between 1880 and 1915. (Black-Owned Newspapers in the United States: A Legacy of Truth and Empowerment, 2025) (Black, by Dr. Frances Murphy (Toni) Draper and Word In, 2026) Many weren’t archived, as only “newspapers of record” were deemed “worthy” of inclusion. That has changed, but how much irreplaceable information has been lost? The National Newspaper Publishers Association reports approximately 200 Black-owned newspapers currently in publication.

On November 3, 1929, the All Negro Hour premiered, featuring comedy, music, and religion, the first radio program dedicated exclusively to Black performers broadcast in the U.S. (Radio Hall of Fame, n.d.) (Cryer, n.d.) The National Association of Black-Owned Broadcasters, formed in 1976 to elevate the voices of Black broadcasters, reports that fewer than 180 of more than 11,000 commercial radio stations and only 25 of 1,374 full-power television stations in the U.S. are Black-owned. A Pew Research Center survey of nearly 12,000 news media journalists indicated in 2022, 6% of reporting journalists in the U.S. were Black (compared to 12% of the U.S. population), 76% White (58% of U.S. population), 8% Hispanic/Latino (19% of U.S. population), 3% Asian (6% of U.S. population). (National Association of Black-Owned Broadcasters, n.d.) (Hellmann, 2025)

In 1834, David Ruggles (above) opened the first black-owned bookstore in the U.S., in New York City, when Blacks were barred from entering “public” libraries. (David Ruggles Center for History & Education, 2025) Today, approximately 200 Black-owned bookstores operate throughout the U.S., up from about 100 during the 2020 pandemic. The National Association of Black Bookstores was created on Juneteenth 2025 (National Association of Black Bookstores, 2025). Per Onyx Impact’s Blackout Report, 591+ Black books were banned across 21 states during 2025. The report states this is part of a “coordinated disinformation campaign” to “seize illegitimate control by eroding progress and rewriting history,” further stating the campaign is “not just about manipulating public opinion; it is a strategy to restrict Black access to power, capital, and influence.” (Onyx Impact, 2025).

Attacks on history and journalism are dangerous attempts to erase the histories of marginalized groups. DOJ arrested and charged veteran journalist Don Lemon while he covered protests at a St. Paul church pastored by an ICE official, attacking journalism and violating constitutional First Amendment Press Freedom protections (Jamie Ding, 2026). The Washington Post terminated Karen Attiah, its founding global opinion editor, the only Black female opinion writer, and the last Black full-time member of its opinion desk in September 2025, after 11 years (Green, 2025). CBS eliminated CBS Evening News Plus in 2025, reassigning 5 of 9 producers, all White, to other shows, terminating the remaining 4, all people of color. The perspectives of Black and communities of color are lost. (Hellmann, 2025)

Scripture admonishes us to speak the truth no matter the costs, that all are created in the image and likeness of God; love one another, treating each other with dignity and respect. Jesus came to bring salvation. We believe that all are part of the Body, the Church, with Christ as the head; that each, though different, is equally important. As Jesus refuses to yield to Satan’s tests in the desert, focusing on God’s truth, we must document, tell, and pass down our truth, our stories. As we move into Lent, let us fast and pray, as Jesus did. To ensure our stories aren’t lost, let us support Black journalists, Black-owned media, and bookstores. Black history IS American history! We must study, learn, and value it throughout the year!

About Karl Pierce: A “cradle Catholic,” Karl Pierce is a member of the Voices of Praise Gospel Choir at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Elk Grove, CA, Pierce currently serves as Chair of the Cultural Diversity Forum of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, as a member of the Knights of Peter Claver, on the Diocese of Sacramento Black Catholic Ministry and Black Catholic Council. Pierce has received a Certificate in Contemporary Black Catholic Spirituality. He is pursuing a Certificate in Catholic Social Teaching from the Center for Religion and Spirituality at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA.

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Bibliography

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