Father Albert Foley
Born: November 6, 1912
Died: December 2, 1990
Father Albert Foley, born in New Orleans in 1912, grew up in a world that became more segregated with each passing year. Like most white Southerners, he didn’t give it much thought. Indeed, as a boy he found the racist film The Birth of a Nation to be inspiring.
The church didn’t take a strong stand either. Racism’s reign of normalized terror—from murder to casual disrespect—meant that was just the way things were. The Ku Klux Klan included anti-Catholic messaging in its rhetoric, and the hierarchy in the South was cautious—overly cautious—about speaking out.
Everything changed for Foley in 1943, when, as a young Jesuit, he was assigned to teach the class “Migration, Immigration, and Race” at Spring Hill College in Mobile. His research—which included interviewing local Black Catholics and wide-ranging reading—opened his eyes: Segregation was sinful. He looked to the church fathers and social justice teachings to better understand his new realization and to discern what should be done.
More about Father Albert Foley:
How Father Albert Foley took on the KKK
A scrappy Jesuit professor found the courage to fight not only the KKK but also the timidity of his own church.
Image: Courtesy of Spring Hill College Archives
