'The Birth of a Nation' sparked decades of racial violence. This Jesuit understood its unholy power.
Theatrical release poster for The Birth of a Nation, distributed by Epoch Film Co. (Wikimedia Commons) As we approach the centenary of the Tulsa Race Massacre and experience a growing recognition of its horrors, it is worth remembering a question raised by Daniel Lord, S.J. (1888-1955), one of the most influential Catholic priests in the United States from the 1930s to the 1950s. Did the rise of the movie industry fuel the flames of racial hatred in the United States? Lord grew up in Chicago but moved to St. Louis for his Jesuit training. Ordained as a priest in 1923, he was soon assigned...
Source: americamagazine.org