Mathew Ahmann facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mathew H. Ahmann
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Ahmann in 1963
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| Born |
Matthew Ahmann
September 10, 1931 |
| Died | December 31, 2001 (aged 70) Washington, D.C., US
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| Alma mater | College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University (1952) |
| Occupation | Activist |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret C. Ahmann |
| Children | 6 |
Mathew H. Ahmann (born September 10, 1931 – died December 31, 2001) was an American Catholic leader and civil rights champion. He played a key role in the Catholic Church's support for the Civil Rights Movement. In 1960, he started and led the National Catholic Council for Interracial Justice.
Ahmann helped make the civil rights movement a moral issue for many. He did this by starting the 1963 National Conference on Religion and Race. He was also one of the four white leaders who joined the "Big Six" to plan the famous 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. During this march, Ahmann gave a speech right before Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. After the Civil Rights Movement, he continued to lead many projects focused on civil rights and Catholic service. He is remembered for helping the Catholic Church get more involved in the movement.
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Early Life and Education
Mathew Ahmann was born on September 10, 1931, in St. Cloud, Minnesota. His father, Norbert Ahmann, was a dentist, and his mother, Clothilda Ahmann, was a nurse. Mathew's grandfather, Mathew Hall, was a German-American immigrant and a businessman in St. Cloud.
Mathew was the oldest of three brothers. Religion was a big part of their lives. They went to Catholic school and attended religious retreats. All three brothers also went to Saint John's Preparatory School in Collegeville, Minnesota. Growing up, Ahmann was a Boy Scout and played music in a band.
Ahmann studied social science at Saint John's University for three years. He graduated in 1952. After that, he started a master's degree program in sociology at the University of Chicago. His brother, David, once said that their family prayed for Matt not to lose his faith when he went to Chicago. But instead, he found his faith even more. Ahmann planned to finish his master's degree, but he left school to focus on his important work with the civil rights movement.
Leading the Civil Rights Movement
Mathew Ahmann worked in Chicago for several years. He was the director of the Chicago Catholic Interracial Council. In 1960, he started the National Catholic Council for Interracial Justice and became its leader.
As the director, Ahmann organized the National Conference on Religion and Race. This was the first national meeting about civil rights that brought together Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish leaders. The conference took place in Chicago from January 14 to 17, 1963. Ahmann planned it to happen at the same time as the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Ahmann said his goal for the conference was to:
examine the role of religious institutions in race relations and then move on to propose and inspire renewed action and interreligious projects to increase the leadership of religion in ending racial discrimination.
Leaders from 78 different religious groups attended the conference. Speakers included important figures like Martin Luther King Jr., Sargent Shriver, and Abraham Joshua Heschel. One person who attended said it was amazing that Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and Orthodox leaders came together. About 1,000 people attended in total.
After Ahmann's speech, Heschel invited him to the stage. Heschel said, "We are here because of the faith of a 33-year-old Catholic layman." He then kissed Ahmann on the head, and Ahmann received a standing ovation. A journalist who was there believed that even if the attendees did nothing else, they would be changed forever by the conference. It was hoped that committees from the three religions would form locally and regionally to work together.
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Organizers of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom asked Ahmann to find a Catholic bishop to be a Catholic chairman for the march. When he couldn't find a bishop willing to do it, Ahmann himself offered to join the organizing committee and give a speech. Ahmann, as the Catholic representative, joined white leaders Walter Reuther, Eugene Carson Blake, and Joachim Prinz. Together, they joined the original "Big Six" to form the "Big Ten" who organized the march.
On August 28, 1963, Ahmann gave a speech at the March on Washington from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. He asked the crowd:
Who can call himself a man, and take part in a system of segregation which frightens the white man into denying what he knows to be right, into denying the law of his God?
Ahmann's speech was given just before King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
In 1965, Ahmann asked all United States Catholic clergy to attend the Selma to Montgomery marches. This was in response to King's call for people to join. In the same year, Ahmann gave a graduation speech at the College of Saint Benedict. He encouraged women to fight for their rights. In 1967, Ahmann wrote a letter to King, who was in jail at the time. He told King that his conference sent greetings while King was serving time for standing up for humanity, dignity, and justice. This telegram can be seen in The King Center's online archives.
Ahmann continued to support King and the movement. In 1967, he sent King a telegram for the 10-year anniversary of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He congratulated them on all their hard work for human rights.
Later Work and Legacy
Ahmann worked with the National Catholic Council for Interracial Justice until 1968. In 1969, he moved to Texas. There, he became the executive director of the Commission on Church and Society for the Archdiocese of San Antonio.
During the 1972 presidential election, Ahmann worked for vice-presidential candidate Sargent Shriver. After that, he worked for 16 years as the associate director of government relations for Catholic Charities USA in Washington, D.C.. He was also a member of the executive committee for the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
Mathew Ahmann passed away from cancer on December 31, 2001. He died at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C. A memorial Mass was held for him on January 12, 2002.
William L. Taylor said that "Mr. Ahmann was a quiet voice of conscience in the civil rights movement." He also noted that Ahmann helped make the Leadership Conference a very effective organization. In October 2013, Ahmann was given the Colman J. Barry Award for Distinguished Contributions to Religion and Society from Saint John's University. This award was given to him after his death.
Personal Life
In 1954, Mathew Ahmann married Margaret C. Ahmann. They had six children together.
