Mathew Ahmann

Mathew H. Ahmann
Ahmann in 1963
Born
Matthew Ahmann

(1931-09-10)September 10, 1931
St. Cloud, Minnesota, US
DiedDecember 31, 2001(2001-12-31) (aged 70)
Washington, D.C., US
Alma materCollege of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University (1952)
OccupationActivist
SpouseMargaret C. Ahmann
Children6

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 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]

  1. ^ Duffy, Brendon (2013). "Acting on Faith". Saint John's Magazine. Summer/Fall 2013. Saint John's University: 24–31. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Maurice was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Walberg, Matthew (January 7, 2002). "Mathew H. Ahmann, 70: Founder of Catholic interracial group". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kelley was invoked but never defined (see the help page).