Fresh off an appearance at last week’s Catholic Partnership Summit with the Leadership Roundtable, Gloria Purvis, Washington DC’s podcaster extraordinaire, is scheduled for various speaking engagements in Kansas and Rhode Island this month.
The first, entitled “Racism is a Pro-Life Issue”, is scheduled for tonight at 8pm ET on the campus of Benedictine College in Atchison, Kas.
The event, in-person and livestreamed, is being sponsored by the school’s Black Student Union and Gregorian Fellows, local activist group Atchison United, and the Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary—the largest and oldest Black Catholic organization in the country.
Purvis has been on the receiving end of racism in the past year, with her “Morning Glory” show on EWTN’s podcast/radio network being abruptly canceled in late 2020, following conflicts between her and her co-hosts when she spoke out in support of anti-racist measures in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.
The Alabama-based media empire initially expressed support for Purvis when the controversy broke out, before cutting ties just a few months later without explanation.
Purvis has since taken on a solo gig with the Jesuits’ America Media, “The Gloria Purvis Podcast”, where she dialogues weekly on a variety of topics with guests from around the country.
During her time with EWTN, she was no stranger to speaking engagements, headlining various events in recent years, including the most recent National Black Catholic Congress in 2017.
Following this week’s event in Kansas, she will make an appearance at Portsmouth Abbey School in Rhode Island on October 15th at 10:35am, where she will speak on “How the Eucharist Fosters Faith and Unity”—a welcome topic as the US bishops prepare to meet next month concerning the Eucharist and politics.
Purvis’ time in the Diocese of Providence also coincides with its 150th anniversary, due to be celebrated through next summer with a variety of events and initiatives, including concerts, lectures, and a Human Life Guild Mass on October 16th amidst the USCCB’s Respect Life Month.
That same day at 11am, following the Mass, Purvis will speak at McVinney Auditorium in downtown Providence with a Whole Life-focused lecture entitled “Born and Unborn: The Integrity of the Human Person in The Womb and Society”.
November will bring Purvis to Mercy High School in Farmington Hills, Mich., where she will headline the school’s DEI Conference on antiracism and inclusion initiatives grounded in Catholic social teaching.
Her appearance at that event is scheduled for November 12th at 9am ET.
Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger, a seminarian with the Josephites, and a ThM student with the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA).
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