In the US, Black survivors are nearly invisible in the Catholic clergy sexual abuse crisis

Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Black survivors like Richardson have been nearly invisible in the Catholic Church sexual abuse crisis — even in Baltimore, home to a historic Black Catholic community in the nation’s oldest archdiocese. “And the predators are going to go where the prey is — Black communities relying on the church for support.” Abuse also came from within Baltimore’s Black community. Of the abuse, Carter said, “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about it.” In 2002, another of Blackwell’s victims, Dontee Stokes, confronted and shot Blackwell after he refused to apologize. Despite being convicted of three counts of child sexual abuse, he was granted a new trial because of the “improper testimony about possible other victims,” according to the attorney general’s report.