On Thursday (May 8), cardinal electors in Vatican City selected Robert Francis Prevost, a Chicago-born cardinal to be the next leader of the Catholic Church. But there’s a reason why Black folks, Catholic or not, should care about this: The new pope is Black.
Let me tell you about the pope’s peoples. His maternal grandparents are described as Black or mulatto in historical records. They lived in New Orleans’ Seventh Ward, an area known for being a place where people with African, Caribbean and European roots intermixed. The grandparents, Joseph Martinez and Louise Baquié, moved to Chicago in the early 20th century and had a daughter: Mildred Martinez, the pope’s mother. So, what does that mean?
OK. Let me get deep for a second.
When America was a young country, slave owners instituted the ‘one-drop rule.’ It was a historical and sociological principle of racial classification that said any person with a single ancestor of African descent (“one drop” of “black blood”) was considered Black, regardless of their overall ancestry or physical appearance.
That’s why light skinned Black folks felt the need to pass. They knew that if their true ancestry was discovered, they would be ostracized and treated like a second-class citizen—even if their skin was white as snow and their hair bowed in the wind. (It’s part of the whole plot of Imitation of Life, a movie beloved by Black grandmothers everywhere.)
This rule was forced upon us, so Black folks adopted it. Now, no matter what you look like, if you have a Black ancestor, you are invited to the cookout.
The pope is not just Black. He is a black person from Chicago who can trace his roots to New Orleans. That man is not only invited to the cookout, but we may also have make him actually cook.