Complex sentence: Their stories have intrigued historians and sociologists for their high achievements as the children of an immigrant and enslaved woman; they gained education and most became prominent in the Catholic Church, they negotiated racial issues, and they created alliances with Catholic Church officials and its institutions.
Split into simpler sentences: Their stories have intrigued historians and sociologists for their high achievements as the children of an immigrant and enslaved woman. They gained higher educations and most became prominent in the Catholic Church, they negotiated racial issues, and they created alliances with Catholic Church officials and its institutions.