부산대학교 도서관

Charles F. Vatterott, Jr., a Catholic homebuilder from St. Louis, Missouri, played an important role in advancing racial justice, living out his Catholic faith through his business practices and social engagement. He became a founder of the St. Louis Catholic Interracial Council (CICSL) that worked for African Americans' inclusion in society and empowerment through educational opportunities and social contacts. Concerned with equality and justice in the 1940s, Vatterott, with the CICSL worked for racial integration in area colleges and universities. He became a close friend of St. Louis Archbishop Joseph Ritter through his racial advocacy and sought through his business to secure quality housing for African Americans. He helped forge a path for African American home ownership through private loans and developing affordable housing in formerly segregated areas of St. Louis County before finally embracing the wider Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.