One of the four cornerstones of NETWORK’s Build Anew agenda is cultivating inclusive community. This means fostering life-giving relationships – in communities and movements – that recognize our fundamental interrelatedness and the intrinsic dignity and worth of each living being. During LGBTQIA+ History Month this October, we reflect on the long history of LGBTQ+ people who have educated, organized, and lobbied for justice. We also recognize how cultivating inclusive community requires affirming our LGBTQ+ siblings and working to end all dehumanizing structures.

We are called to welcome and honor LGBTQ+ people. LGBTQ+ folks have always been a part of our communities, though their stories have often been obscured. Sister Grace Surdovel, IHM creates space for sharing and uplifting these stories in editing Love Tenderly: Sacred Stories of Lesbian and Queer Religious, a recent anthology of personal essays. The book not only makes visible the experiences of queer Catholics, but is also a work of community-building: centering compassion, vulnerability, solidarity, and hope. The religious in the communion that is this anthology are but one part of the vast body of LGBTQ+ justice-seekers calling us to shape more liberative community today.

While anti-trans legislation has been on the rise, Sister Louisa Derouen, OP has ministered among transgender people for over two decades, spending thousands of hours accompanying folks through experiences with churches, families, and transitions. Sr. Louisa writes, “Transgender people are far more attuned than most of us to the reality that we human beings are a complex, mysterious, body-spirit creation of God, and they want nothing more than to honor that reality… They are part of the body of Christ, and they deserve to be treated as the body of Christ.” Sr. Louisa captures the spirit of cultivating inclusive community: acknowledging everyone – but especially those marginalized by dominant society’s refusal to tolerate human diversity – as indispensable members of the body of Christ.

Father Bryan Massingale is a tremendous example of someone who recognizes that affirming LGBTQ+ people is inseparable from advancing a wider vision of social justice. Fr. Massingale is a Catholic priest and an ethics professor at Fordham University who came out as a gay in 2019. His leadership on racial justice as well as LGBTQ+ inclusion in the Church highlights the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and Catholicism in the U.S. Fr. Massingale’s witness calls attention to the ways in which our structures of power deny the humanity of Black people, LGBTQ+ folks, and those with intersectional identities.

As Fr. Massingale leads us to understand, embracing queerness is not only about including LGBTQ+ people in community, but also about breaking free of all oppressive and unjust social systems.  As a queer Catholic, I understand my queerness not just as my sexual identity, but as a mode of being that means challenging categories and structures that stifle flourishing, and living into life-affirming ways of relating to myself and others — which is exactly the work of social justice. In this sense, Jesus’ ministry was a beautiful example of queerness as he subverted the gender, family, and social norms of his time in radically just and life-giving ways.

To me, queerness is deeply Catholic, in that it means being attuned to how God made me as a relational being with inherent dignity and capacity to love. It means looking to God’s creation and finding a rich plurality of forms of life — each “fearfully and wonderfully made.” Justice work requires seeing each person in the fullness of their humanity, which requires affirming the varied ways in which humans love and live in authenticity. In my view, queerness is a powerful, creative basis for envisioning alternatives to structures that seek to suppress, homogenize, and limit possibilities for real flourishing and loving relationship.

By their witness and ministry, Sr. Grace, Sr. Louisa, and Fr. Massingale call us to center people and experiences on the margins over ideology in our work for justice. As we strive to enact the Build Anew agenda, let us ensure that our policies — especially in health care, housing, taxes, and workplace and family policy — include and protect members of the LGBTQ+ community and their families.  Let us remember to ground our advocacy work in our encounters with our neighbors, in all their vibrant variety of gender and sexuality. And let us see queerness as a mode of being that invites us to creatively challenge oppressive social structures and imagine new forms of community that truly honor the wondrous diversity of God’s holy creation.

On October 18^th, NETWORK hosted a monthly Community Conversation titled “Called to Action– The Spirituality of NETWORK’s Political Ministry.” The event began with a presentation on NETWORK’s foundational history from Historian Sister Mara Rutten, RSM. NETWORK was founded in 1971 when 47 Catholic Sisters gathered at Trinity College in Washington, D.C. to form a lobbying group in the spirit of Catholic Social Teaching. These Women Religious created a nationwide community of political justice activists and held legislative seminars to train new justice-seekers on priorities such as fair wages, tax justice, health care, workers’ rights, and more. Over the decades, our spirit-filled network has expanded to include thousands of people of all backgrounds.

NETWORK’S foundresses based the organization’s mission on Catholic Social Justice tradition– living out the Gospel values of pursuing the common good and uplifting every person’s inherent human dignity. When approaching federal policy through a Catholic Social Justice lens, we center the lived realities of those experiencing systemic inequalities such as sexism, racism, and economic exploitation. NETWORK’s principles of Catholic Social Justice continue to guide our approach to educating, organizing, and lobbying for transformative change.

After reflecting on NETWORK’s history, Community Conversation participants were asked to consider how Catholic Social Justice informs our current work as advocates. Many participants shared frustrations of living in communities where many Catholics are single-issue voters and are unaware of equally sacred issues. People agreed that our country’s divisive political climate can be discouraging on a familial, parish, neighborhood, and national level in the fight for justice and the common good. However, a profound message stood out to me on how we can sustain our work during difficult times.

In my small discussion group, I explained how advocacy work is very important to me, but can disheartening and emotionally draining at times. One of my group members, Sister Betty McVeigh, then shared a phrase that has stuck with me: “Hope is a verb.” In the moments where there seems to be only tragedy and an extreme lack of progress on the issues that matter, we must move forward with radical hope in order to realize our vision of an equitable society with justice and human dignity at the center. As the NETWORK community organizes and lobbies on priorities such as democracy, the Build Back Better plan, immigration reform, and more we must come together to rise above the brokenness and suffering, and live out the same Gospel call NETWORK’s foundresses were moved by.

Catholic Social Justice is not only doctrine, but a tool we can use to build relationships and work for societal change. So much can be achieved when we approach every situation with the hope of building our country anew to dismantle systemic racism, cultivate inclusive community, root our economy in solidarity, and transform our politics. Pope Francis calls us to be “social poets,” people that “have the ability and the courage to create hope where there appears to be only waste and exclusion.” As we embark on the journey of celebrating NETWORK’s 50^th anniversary I hope we can all renew our dedication to the foundresses’ mission of rejecting exclusion and inequality and building a just world together. We be social poets together through hope, hope, hope.

We’re back with part two of our Hispanic Heritage Month playlist. Here are some selections that highlight a small part of the diverse kaleidoscope that is the Hispanic and Latinx world. We hope you enjoy these songs of celebration, reflection, lamentation, and pride!

La Jaula de Oro by Los Tigres del Norte

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnvNfE9fOv4&w=560&h=315]

The issue of immigration on the U.S. southern border can become so two-dimensional in our public discourse, that the nuanced lived realities of migrants are often lost.  This song, by beloved Norteño band Los Tigres del Norte, paints an honest and heartbreaking picture of the life of an undocumented immigrant living in the United States. The title, which translates to “The Golden Cage,” highlights the internal and external tensions that migrants face when building a new life in an unfamiliar place. The linked video is from the band’s recent live concert that they performed at Folsom State Prison (50 years after Johnny Cash’s famous concert), for both the men’s and women’s facilities. You can check out the documentary on Netflix.

La Negra Tiene Tumbao by Celia Cruz

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imeXSRNRMeg&w=560&h=315]

The Queen of Salsa, Celia Cruz, left a significant mark in the music industry thanks to her illustrious 50 year career that made fans all around the world get up and dance. However, her late-career smash hit “La Negra Tiene Tumbao” (which can be roughly translated to “The Black Woman Has Style”) is a standout for its joyous and unapologetic celebration of Black womanhood. Give this one a listen whenever you need an extra dose of azucar in your life!

Breathe (from In the Heights) by Lin-Manuel Miranda

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSQFjtszBYg&w=560&h=315]

After reimagining the story of the U.S. Founding Fathers in Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda received widespread praise for his gifts of song and lyricism. These skills are seen in another one of his projects, In the Heights, a musical about the lives of several Black and Latinx residents of the Washington Heights neighborhood in New York City. In this production, the song “Breathe” is sung by Nina, a first-generation Latina college student who is returning to her neighborhood after dropping out of Stanford University. It’s a heartfelt reflection on the support and pressure that comes from community, and the struggles faced by many first-generation students. In the Heights was adapted into a movie which was released this past year.

Como La Flor by Selena

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwZTgDjRLM0&w=560&h=315]

Tejano is more than just a musical genre — it’s the unique culture of the descendants of Spanish settlers in the Tejas area, established over 100 years before modern-day Texas became a U.S. state. And no one is more synonymous with Tejano culture than Selena Quintanilla-Perez, known widely as just Selena. Her music is a fusion of various Mexican and U.S. influences that is “ni de aquí, ni de allá” (neither from here, nor there). It also embodies the wonderful complexities of being a Hispanic/Latinx American. Selena’s life (and tragic death) was made into a biopic in 1997, with Jennifer Lopez playing Selena. Most recently it was also re-made as a Netflix series.

Mi Gente by J Balvin & Willy Williams

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnJ6LuUFpMo&w=560&h=315]

If you’ve been to any quinceanera in the past 4 years, chances are that you’ve heard the infectious beat of Mi Gente playing loudly. J Balvin is a singer from Medellin, Colombia, and is often referred to as the “Prince of Reggaeton,” a musical genre from Latin America that has taken the world by storm and flooded dancefloors everywhere. The song is a collaboration between J Balvin and French DJ, Willy Williams, and has gained broad international success thanks to its wildly fun energy and bilingual lyrics which invites everyone to be part of mi gente (my people).

The annual observation of National Hispanic Heritage Month began this year on September 15 and continues until October 15. In September 1968, President Johnson signed the National Hispanic Heritage Week bill into law. The following year, Representative Esteban E. Torres of California proposed extending Hispanic Heritage week to a month, saying supporters of the bill “want the public to know that we share a legacy with the rest of the country, a legacy that includes artists, writers, Olympic champions, and leaders in business, government, cinema, and science.” Unfortunately, Torres’s bill died in committee, but 20 years later in 1988, Senator Paul Simon of Illinois succeeded in passing a similar bill lengthening Hispanic Heritage Week to Hispanic Heritage Month. President Reagan signed the bill into law in August 1988.

The start date of September 15 coincides with Independence Day celebrations in many Hispanic countries like Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico and Chile also celebrate their Independence Days in September.

Hispanic and Latinx individuals and communities have made a substantial impact on politics, pop culture, art, music, and more in our country. Hispanic Heritage Month serves as a time to honor and celebrate achievements and contributions made by Hispanic Americans in the U.S.

Check out the Calendar of Events from the Library of Congress to learn more and find out how you can celebrate this month.

During Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15-October 15, we celebrate the impact and achievements of Latinx and Hispanic Americans in the United States. Latinx Americans have a centuries-long legacy in Congress, engaging in politics, as Pope Francis writes in Fratelli Tutti, as “a lofty vocation … inasmuch as it seeks the common good,” breaking representation barriers, and passing common good legislation.

Joseph Marion Hernández was the first Hispanic American to serve in Congress was Joseph Marion Hernández. Hernández was born in Florida while it was still a Spanish colony, and became the first Hispanic American to serve in the House of Representatives when Florida became a territory in 1822.[1] He served as a Delegate in the 17^th Congress for a year, submitting legislation advocating for residents of newly incorporated Florida. In 1877, Representative Romualdo Pacheco was elected the first Hispanic American to serve as a U.S. Representative. The first Hispanic American to serve in the Senate was Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo in 1928, completing the term of the previous New Mexico senator.[2] According to the History, Art, and Archives website of the House of Representatives, 136 Hispanic Americans have served in Congress in some capacity since 1822.[3]

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) was formed in 1976 and is comprised of 38 Hispanic and Latinx members of Congress. The purpose of the CHC is to “advocate for issues important to Hispanics through the Congressional legislative process.”[4] Originally formed as a bipartisan group, Republican members disbanded in the 1990s and formed the Congressional Hispanic Conference, which currently has six members.  Follow the CHC on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on their work.

NETWORK is grateful for all the contributions Hispanic and Latinx Congressmembers have made to shape a more economically and racially just society. Many Latinx Congressional leaders have been essential partners in championing policies in NETWORK’s Build Anew agenda, including as a pathway to citizenship, paid leave, worker’s rights, and more. Our appreciation for the hard work and dedication of Hispanic and Latinx Members of Congress extends well beyond October 15!

————————————————————

[1] https://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/35356

[2] https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/Hispanic_Heritage_Month.htm

[3] https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/HAIC/Hispanic-Americans-in-Congress/

[4] https://chc.house.gov/