Racial Justice – how do we make a difference?

First published on: 6th October 2022

Jennie Taylor, Racial Justice Officer, Liverpool Diocese:

The theme for Black History Month 2022 is Time for Change: Action not Words. It aims to help and encourage all of us to follow up on the talking we’ve done over the last few years and do something that makes a difference. Here in Liverpool Diocese, we want to be a bigger church that makes a bigger difference, so how do we make a difference in racial justice?

Talking about race, discrimination and inequality can be difficult for many of us. Uncertain of all the issues and unsure about what to say or do it can feel like a minefield. Yet, as followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to be part of God’s response to a broken world. He uses each of us, in the places where we live, learn, work and play to be ambassadors for the Kingdom of God, inviting others to join this amazing diverse family he has created.

Jesus was pretty clear about the reason for his ministry: to bring good news to the poor, proclaim freedom to prisoners, recovery of sight to the blind and to set the oppressed free (Luke 4: 18-19). Our mission is his mission and racial justice is one way that we express our work as ambassadors for God’s Kingdom. In a world that is increasingly divisive, we the Church need to respond to those around us who are facing the hurt and pain of marginalisation, discrimination and violence because of their ethnicity.

And what does the Lords require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8b

The 2021 Archbishop’s Anti-Racism Taskforce Report from Lament to Action sets out in stark detail the many times we as the Church of England have talked about race discrimination within the Church but have failed to act. This cannot continue. If we want to be a church that can speak to the society around us about our call to justice and mercy, we must first act justly towards one another. We must be willing to humbly examine where we have got it wrong, we must be willing to work together from a place of repentance towards a place of reconciliation.

In my role as Racial Justice Officer for Liverpool Diocese, I will be working with clergy, church congregations, Diocesan staff and leaders to help us work towards a more hopeful community. A community that can honestly and openly talk about race and discrimination, a community that can build supportive and inclusive spaces for people of all ethnicities and one that can speak up for injustice when we see it.

As a Diocese we have already begun some of this work:

The Triangle of Hope connects the Liverpool Diocese with the Diocese of Kumasi, Ghana and the Diocese of Virginia, USA; forging new links of hope between areas historically connected with the trade in enslaved Africans. Through the work of the Triangle, we have been able to create the Tsedaqah community. A community of young people from all 3 Diocese that have the opportunity to learn about their shared history and live in a community as they work together in different justice initiatives.

The Slavery Truth Project helps churches in the Diocese to acknowledge historical connections with the slave trade and consider how as communities we can respond to that knowledge in creative ways that lead to reconciliation. This project is currently taking place at several churches in the Diocese as well as at Liverpool Cathedral and we hope to make this available to more churches in the future.

We will continue to support these opportunities for us to engage with the work of racial justice but we know that there is further to go. It will take all of us to create sustained change in our church so that we can be empowered to bring sustained change into the communities we serve.

I hope the Black History Month prayer below inspires to live out your calling to mercy and justice wherever you live, learn, work or play.

 

A Prayer for Black History Month

Compassionate God,

who sent Jesus Christ

to deliver us from all manner of injustices and inequalities,

create in us new hearts and enlarged visions,

to see the image of God in every person

irrespective of background, race or ethnicity.

May we be generous in our love of others

as we work towards ending misunderstanding, racism and injustice;

creating communities of human flourishing,

through Jesus Christ your Son and our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen

For more information about joining the Slavery Truth Project contact Adeyinka Olushonde 

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