Albert McKnight facts for kids

Albert J. "Al" McKnight (August 18, 1927 – April 17, 2016) was a special kind of Catholic priest. He was a member of the Spiritans, a group of priests. He was also an author and an activist. Father McKnight is remembered for working hard to help Black communities. He especially focused on cooperative economics, which means people working together to build businesses and share wealth.

In 1968, Ebony magazine said he had started "a peaceful economic revolution." This shows how important his work was. He helped create big organizations like the Southern Cooperative Development Fund (SCDF). He also started the Southern Development Foundation (SDF) and the Southern Consumers Cooperative (SCC).

Biography

Early life and education

Albert McKnight was born in Brooklyn, New York, on August 18, 1927. His parents were Albert and Althea Holmes McKnight. Even though his mother was a Methodist and his father was not actively practicing Catholicism, young Albert became Catholic as a child.

In the 1940s, he joined the Congregation of the Holy Spirit. He was one of the first Black men to become a religious leader in the Catholic Church in the United States. He took his first vows in Ridgefield, Connecticut. On June 6, 1952, he became a priest in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Priesthood

Father McKnight's first job as a priest was at St Paul Catholic Church in Kaplan, Louisiana. There, he saw that many people couldn't read or write. He tried to help them learn.

In 1960, he went to Nova Scotia, Canada. He studied co-operative economics at the Coady Institute. This is a way for people to work together to own and run businesses. Soon after, he started the Southern Consumers Cooperative (SCC). This was a group of Black farmers in the Southern United States who worked together.

Holy Ghost Catholic Church

After his time in Kaplan, Father McKnight served in other churches. He then came to Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Opelousas, Louisiana. He became very well-known as the SCC grew. More projects started, like the Acadian Delight cooperative bakery. This bakery even got a $25,000 loan from President Lyndon Johnson's program to fight poverty. Father McKnight was also a strong activist. He attended the famous March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963.

At Holy Ghost Church, Father McKnight was also known for his religious activism. He became a key leader in the Black Catholic Movement. He helped start the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus. He was even its first executive director. He worked to make the church more welcoming for Black people. This included using Black saints and gospel music. He also encouraged a Black style of preaching.

Cooperative economics

Father McKnight also created the Southern Cooperative Education Fund (SCEF). In 1967, this fund received a large amount of money to teach about cooperative economics in the South. His new Southern Cooperative Development Fund (SCDF) got another big grant from the Ford Foundation in 1969. Father McKnight helped this fund grow into a $30 million operation. It had many smaller cooperative businesses.

One quote said: "Over a 25-year period, [McKnight] was in the vanguard of organizing 75 cooperatives, credit unions and minority businesses across the Southern United States."

Ebony magazine wrote about Father McKnight in 1968. He was not only helping people economically but also encouraging political action. At that time, very few African Americans ran for political office. Father McKnight was one of the first to do so. He also encouraged others to run their own campaigns. His work against racism and economic unfairness led to him being arrested at least twice.

In 1969, Father McKnight and his team were invited to Israel. They visited kibbutzes (community farms) and moshavim (collective farms). When he returned, Father McKnight mentored a young man named Ronald Mason Jr.. Mason later became a lawyer and led several Black universities. With Father McKnight, he helped lead parts of the larger Southern cooperative movement. This included new collective farms based on the Israeli idea.

However, these farms did not last long as one big operation. There were disagreements. Also, some of the cooperative businesses did not continue after Father McKnight's direct involvement. In the 1970s, disagreements about how to spend money caused problems for the SCDF. Father McKnight then stopped working with cooperatives for several years.

In the late 1970s, President Jimmy Carter appointed Father McKnight to the board of the new National Cooperative Bank. Around the same time, he organized the first Zydeco festival in Louisiana. His cooperative network also helped provide the loan that started the jazz and funk radio station WWOZ in New Orleans.

Return to Holy Ghost

After several years of economic work and activism, Father McKnight returned to Holy Ghost Church full-time in 1982. The church had grown to more than 10,000 members. This made it the largest Black Catholic church in the United States. He continued to push for the church to be more inclusive for Black people and to fight racism. This led to some challenges.

In 1987, the local school board wanted to close a school that had mostly Black students. Father McKnight hosted 1,000 African Americans at Holy Ghost Church to talk about it. They even received a bomb threat, but the meeting was successful. It was shown on CBS News with Dan Rather. Later, Father McKnight and others were arrested during a protest at the school board offices.

In 1988, Bishop Gerard Louis Frey asked Father McKnight to leave the parish. Father McKnight later said this made him think about leaving the priesthood. But he received support from his religious order and decided to stay a priest. He even started growing his beard until he felt he received justice. The Holy Ghost Fathers eventually gave Holy Ghost Church and other local churches to another group, the Society of the Divine Word.

Haiti

Father McKnight then moved to a nearby home with his mother, who was ill. Later, he went to Haiti to continue his work. He returned to the United States and served as a director for new priests in his order. In 2005, he asked to retire, again to Haiti. The year before, he had helped start a college there, which is now called the University of Fondwa.

Later life and death

Father McKnight returned to the United States in 2012. He lived in California and Pennsylvania before he passed away on April 17, 2016, at 88 years old. His funeral was held at Holy Ghost Church in Opelousas. He was buried in Carencro, Louisiana.

Legacy

Father McKnight was recognized for his important work. In 1987, while he was still alive, he was inducted into the Cooperative Hall of Fame. He also received an honorary doctorate degree from Duquesne University in 1993. This university is run by his religious order.

After his death, the Louisiana House of Representatives honored him. The National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus (NBCCC) gives out the Albert McKnight Award every year. This award goes to an excellent Black Catholic priest in his honor.

Works

• "Whistling in the Wind"
• "Black Christian Perspectives of Spirituality" (Black and Catholic, Catholic and Black : Readings, Resources, and Family Activities)