Dionne Mitchell was born and raised Catholic, attending St. Augustine Church in North Little Rock, one of three historically Black Catholic churches in Arkansas. As a 29-year-old, she has her pick of churches in Central Arkansas, but has always sought out a predominantly Black congregation.
“I wanted to be around people that look like me,” she said. “. I didn’t feel excluded (in other parishes). I just always thought it was weird seeing white Jesus in a church.”
Walking into most churches in Arkansas, there’s no shortage of Anglo depictions of Jesus, Mary and Joseph the cross, statutes and Stations of the Cross. But for a Church that’s supposed to be universal, the concept of being welcoming can start with more diverse depictions of the Holy Family. But it runs deeper than that for local Black Catholics, rooted in cultural acceptance.