Catholic Campaign for Human Development
Director, Ralph McCloud
Ralph McCloud assumed the duties of Director of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development in November of 2007. Prior to this, McCloud served as a city council member and mayor pro tem in Fort Worth, Texas. While still serving in Texas government, McCloud gave a political endorsement to radical pro-abortion politician Wendy Davis when she announced her run for state senate against the solidly pro-life incumbent, Kim Brimer. In his endorsement of Davis, McCloud said,
Wendy Davis is a true leader, a hard worker and an honest broker. Wendy will be sorely missed on the City Council, but her can-do attitude will serve Tarrant County well in the legislature.
In addition to this endorsement, McCloud also served as the treasurer for Davis’ campaign.
McCloud denied any knowledge of Davis’ pro-abortion position at the time he gave her an endorsement and agreed to serve as her campaign treasurer, and claims that he never assumed any of the duties as treasurer.
The Gamaliel Scandal
Ralph McCloud refused to meet with Reform CCHD Now investigators after it was proved that the Gamaliel Foundation lied to him about its membership in an organization promoting homosexuality.
In 2012, the Reform CCHD Now coalition conducted an investigation of one of the largest group of CCHD grants recipients, the Gamaliel Foundation. In 2012, twenty CCHD grantees were affiliates of the Gamaliel Foundation. In the course of the investigation, Reform CCHD Now discovered that Gamaliel was a founding member of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) and served on its governing body. The problem with Gamaliel serving on the governing body of FIRM is that in March of 2010, FIRM publicly called for the inclusion of same-sex “families” in immigration reform.
On 8 August 2012, Reform CCHD Now received a letter from the Diocese of Pittsburgh that the Gamaliel Foundation claimed to have formally dissolved its membership in FIRM in May of 2010 because of FIRM’s public call to include LGBT rights in immigration reform. As evidence, Gamaliel provided CCHD with a copy of a letter dated May 2010 addressed to FIRM, announcing its departure from FIRM as a member. Further evidence discovered by Reform CCHD Now proved that this claim was untrue. The evidence contained in this report proved that Gamaliel was not only a member of FIRM over a year and a half after the alleged departure letter from FIRM, but also that Gamaliel was nominated to FIRM’s steering committee in December 2011. Reform CCHD Now scheduled a meeting with Ralph McCloud to discuss Gamaliel’s lie. The meeting was subsequently cancelled by McCloud with the explanation, “we see no reason to meet at this time.”
McCloud’s attachment to Gamaliel goes back at least as far as his first year as director of the CCHD. In 2008, McCloud spoke at an event organized by the Gamaliel Network called “Realizing the Promise.” The event was a celebration of the election of Barack Obama, calling on the president-elect to follow-through with his campaign promises to community organizing groups. In relation to Obama’s election, McCloud called “this a great day,” where “we will realize a new Jerusalem and justice will flow like water.”
Board Membership With Interfaith Worker Justice
Ralph McCloud is a board member of Interfaith Worker Justice.
In 2012, the Reform CCHD Now coalition investigated seven CCHD grantees that were all affiliates of an organization called Interfaith Worker Justice (IWJ). The problem is that the leadership of IWJ is filled with individuals who promote abortion and homosexuality, and many of them are committed Marxist socialists. What follows is a brief summary illustrating the problem:
- Kim Bobo, Executive Director and Founder of IWJ, received her degree in economics from the socialist college, The New School for Social Research, is highly active and involved with the Democratic Socialists of America, and chaired a Marxist speaker’s panel for The New School.
- Eric Boria, Bobo’s assistant, organized Roundtables for the “Marxist section” of meetings at the American Sociological Association’s annual conferences while a grad student at Lyola University.
- Paul Sherry, a founding board member of IWJ, is currently its Public Policy Director for the D.C. Office. Sherry has strongly and actively advocates for homosexuality, birth control, abortion, and even supported partial-birth abortion. Sherry also participated in “The Left Forum,” a socialist convention.
- Joan Flanagan, the Development Director for IWJ, is a supporter of Planned Parenthood, a donor to the pro-abortion Chicago Foundation for Women, and former development director for the pro-abortionand pro-homosexual Center for New Community.
- A full profile on the problems with IWJ can be found by clicking here.
For Fiscal Year 2014-2015, six affiliates of Interfaith Worker Justice received grants from the CCHD totaling $280,000:
Northwest Arkansas Workers’ Justice Center – 50,000, Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa – 45,000, Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha (CTUL) – 70,000, New Labor Education & Training Institute – 40,000, Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York – 50,000, Workers’ Dignity Project – 25,000. The Reform CCHD Now coalition previously profiled 4 of these organizations for the following violations of CCHD grant guidelines:
Northwest Arkansas Workers’ Justice Center – 50,000
- Member of Arkansas Citizens First Congress that works for the rights of homosexuals to adopt or be foster parents.
- Member of Interfaith Worker Justice coalition a socialist organization
- President of the Board is a pro-abortion, pro-homosexual Democrat party activist
Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha (CTUL) – 70,000
- In addition to being an affiliate of IWJ, CTUL is a member of and on the board of Take Action Minnesota – an organization promoting same-sex “marriage” and birth control.
New Labor Education & Training Institute – 40,000
- New Labor is a member of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement that advocates homosexual rights in immigration laws.
- New Labor is a member of the pro-homosexual National Day Laborer Organizing Network
- New Labor is an affiliate of the Marxist – run Interfaith Worker Justice
Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York (page 96 of the full report) – 50,000
- Produced and distributed guidebooks and conducted focus groups to promote homosexuality
- hosted a focus group centered around promotion of homosexuality
- Is a member of the pro-abortion and pro-homosexual US Human Rights Network
- Is a partner with the pro-abortion and pro-homosexual Center for Community Change
- Is a member of the pro-abortion and pro-homosexual New York City Human Rights Initiative
- Participated in the pro-abortion, pro-homosexual and Marxist US Social Forum
Ralph McCloud has never addressed the problem with granting money to organizations that are affiliates of IWJ.
