Canon Philip Anderson has been announced as one of the 11 Commission Members who have been appointed to the Racial justice Commission, joining Lord Boateng whose Chairmanship of the Commission was announced on 9 July 2021.
The Racial Justice Commission was appointed by the Archbishops in response to the Anti-racism Taskforce report, ‘From Lament to Action’, for a period of three years. It follows a series of commitments by the Archbishops to take action to identify, respond to and root out systemic racism in the Church of England.
Canon Philip said "In Christ God reconciled the world to himself. Being asked to serve on the Church of England's Racial Justice Commission is rooted in our daily prayer 'Thy Kingdom Come'. My own ancestors settled in Liverpool as immigrants, and experienced the racial prejudices and tensions of a century ago, including in our churches. We will seek to listen to God, to those who have gone before us, and to the country today, with humility and hope, penitence and thanksgiving. So that everyone in England in this generation knows that the Good News is for all, called to be members of God's One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church."
Bishop Paul added "I’m delighted to see the establishment of the Archbishops’ Racial Justice Commission, and still more delighted that two Liverpool people are members - Canon Philip Anderson, and Dr Nirmala Pillay. Dr Pillay teaches law at Leeds Beckett University, but she is also a significant member of the Diocese, and an eminent citizen of Liverpool, together with her husband Professor Gerald Pillay of Hope University.
In April the report “From Lament to Action” was published, with a range of important recommendations. I implemented one of these immediately, asking the Revd Grace Thomas, of Manchester Diocese, to act as my reverse mentor so that my own work and that of the Diocese could carry this agenda forward accountably.
We have a long way to go. But I’m enormously grateful to Grace, Philip and Nirmala, together with our clergy colleagues Julia Pratt and Tabitha Rao who serve on the governance groups of the Diocese, for helping us along the road to becoming a more genuinely diverse Church. Thanks too to our Dean of Diversity, Canon Amanda Bruce, for the co-ordinating role she plays in this wide-ranging and essential agenda."
About the Racial Justice Commission
The Commission is an independent body bringing together a range of experience and expertise within and beyond the Church.
Members include specialists in areas such as Theology & Racial Justice; Ecclesiology & Liturgy; Formation & Theological Education and History & Politics.
Full membership:
- Chair: The Rt Hon Lord Boateng, Former Cabinet Minister and High Commissioner to SA
- Professor Anthony Reddie, Dept of Theology, University of Oxford
- The Revd Canon Dr Chigor Chike, Chair of Anglican Minority Ethnic Network (AMEN)
- Professor Duncan Morrow, Dept of Politics, Ulster University
- Dame Melanie Dawes, Chief Executive, Ofcom
- Professor Mike Higton, Dept of Theology, Durham University
- Lord Wei of Shoreditch, Serial Social Entrepreneur and Social Reformer
- Dr Nirmala Pillay, School of Law, Leeds Becket University
- The Revd Canon Patricia Hillas, Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons
- The Revd Canon Dr Philip Anderson, Canon Precentor, Liverpool Cathedral
- The Rt Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Bishop of Dover
- The Revd Sonia Barron, Diocesan Director of Vocations, Diocese of Lincoln
Read full biographies of the Commissioners.