Mathew Ahmann | |
|---|---|
).jpg) Ahmann in 1963 | |
| Born | September 10, 1931 St. Cloud, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | December 31, 2001 (aged 70) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Education | Saint John's University (BA) University of Chicago |
| Spouse |
Margaret Ahmann (m. 1954) |
| Children | 6 |
Mathew H. Ahmann (September 10, 1931 – December 31, 2001) was an American Catholic layman and civil rights activist. He was a leader of the Catholic Church's involvement in the civil rights movement, and in 1960 founded and became the executive director of the National Catholic Council for Interracial Justice.[1]
By initiating the 1963 National Conference on Religion and Race, Ahmann worked to establish the civil rights movement as a moral cause. He was one of four white men, along with Walter Reuther, Eugene Carson Blake, and Rabbi Joachim Prinz, who joined the "Big Six" to organize the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. He gave a speech during the march that preceded the "I Have a Dream" speech of Martin Luther King Jr.[2] Following the civil rights movement, he directed several civil rights and Catholic service initiatives.[3] He is not commonly thought of when thinking of the civil rights movement but has been said to have acted as a catalyst for the Catholic Church's involvement in the movement.[4]
- ^ Duffy, Brendon (2013). "Acting on Faith". Saint John's Magazine. Summer/Fall 2013. Saint John's University: 24–31. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Mauricewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Walberg, Matthew (January 7, 2002). "Mathew H. Ahmann, 70: Founder of Catholic interracial group". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Kelleywas invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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