The Archdiocese of Milwaukee continued its observance of Black History Month with a Saturday lecture series.

The last of the four-part series highlighted "Engaging and Retaining Black Catholic Youth and Young Adults in the Faith."

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee's Black Catholic Ministry Commission is dedicated to nurturing the spiritual, educational, and cultural well-being of people of African descent, according to the archdiocese's website. The commission works intimately with bishops, parish and archdiocese leadership, offices and agencies to expand its evangelical mission.

The face of the Catholic Church in America was predominantly white until Father Herman Porter convened the first meeting of the Black Catholic Clergy Caucus in Detroit following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., according to the Smithsonian Magazine. The opening words in the meeting were, “The Catholic Church in the United States, primarily a white racist institution, has addressed itself primarily to white society and is definitely a part of that society.”

Priests in the Caucus issued accusations that the U.S. Church was complicit during an era of white supremacy, making several demands that included black individuals being given leadership roles and control in Catholic institutions throughout black communities.

"The same principles on which we justify legitimate self-defense and just warfare must be applied to violence when it represents (a) black response to white violence," the Caucus said, according to Smithsonian Magazine. “Unless the Church, by an immediate, effective and total reversing of its present practices, rejects and denounces all forms of racism within its ranks and institutions and in the society of which she is a part, she will become unacceptable in the black community.”

The other three lectures of the series focused on Challenges and Resilience of the Black Family, Black Health and Wellness: Equity and Disparity in Healthcare System, and People of African Descent in Dialogue: Building the Cultural Divide.

The last lecture was held at All Saints Catholic Church Hall in Milwaukee.