I appreciate and applaud the Catholic News Herald’s recent coverage of racism, including the commentaries by Deacon Clarke Cochran. As a cradle Catholic who is white, male and elderly, I am becoming increasingly aware of my privilege in this society. I accept personally that “Racism is a … deep and persistent infestation in (American) society” – as Deacon Cochran wrote in his Nov. 20 commentary entitled “Responding as Catholics to systemic racism.”
Among other privileges, I am able to ignore the negative impacts of racism, while persons of color and lesser financial means struggle daily with fear, rejection, and a lack of material and societal resources.
Jerome Wagner is a member of St. James the Greater Church in Concord.