Can private corporations provide public goods? Can capitalism contribute to movements for social justice?
In her book Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America, Georgetown history professor Marcia Chatelain notes that big companies like McDonald’s historically have failed to deliver the social benefits they’d promised.
And as racism and white supremacy remain potent forces in American life—and in the Catholic Church—we should harness our power to care for one another, rather than our power as consumers, to bring real change.
For further reading:
- Three Cheers for Socialism, David Bentley Hart
- Authentically Black, Truly Catholic, Tia Noelle Pratt
- Many and One, Vinson Cunningham
“We have made it seem as if capitalism means freedom, when really it means that we are yoked to the degradation of our neighbor.”—Marcia Chatelain