As a church community we are committed to acting justly and we will not remain silent on this injustice, because silence is compliance. We are sorry for when we have got this wrong in the past. We are committed to learning and working with our church family to ensure that the lives of Black people and People of Colour, many of whom make up our diverse church community, continue to matter. We extend our heartfelt condolences and prayers to all those who have been and are affected by this issue, and particularly the families of those whose lives have been lost in the history of racism and brutality. Today we say that we love you, we are with you and we will do better as we continue to seek God’s Kingdom in our community.
Joining the worldwide movement of racial justice
We have dedicated this page on our site as a permanent commitment as a church that we will no longer stay silent. We cannot be just ‘not racist’, but must all pursue a lifestyle of ‘anti-racism’. For those of us in our community who are white and therefore born into a systemic privilege in comparison to those people of colour, need to firstly humble ourselves, recognise this and journey to anti-racism. We must recognise our colour-blindness – a form of racism where we do not acknowledge that the lived experience of our loved ones, friends and neighbours of colour have actually been very different to those of us that are white. As a church we want to always celebrate diversity and so we all need to open our eyes to this prejudice. We believe that God made all lives in his image – the love of God is for all people and God see’s us as all equally. This world does not see all people as equal, so if we want to see an end to this injustice we must stand together on this journey of truth and reparation; truth and justice.
Below are resources that will help educate us as a community on this journey to anti-racism. We will continue to grow this space organically.
This is a journey we are all on, not just a moment in time.
Videos
Conversation with Joyce Onstad
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1B-EXfM-oY[/embedyt]
Conversation with Uduak and Ifeoluwa Rotimi from St John’s Ealing
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmBP5dWH9zE[/embedyt]
Statement from Pastor Agu from Jesus House London
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4vBWcgyLHI[/embedyt]
Justina Kehinde TEDx Talk
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HFCU8Gffao[/embedyt]
Byan Stevenson on Racial Justice
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GopHnN_sKHI[/embedyt]
Ben Lindsay ‘We Need to Talk about Race’
Paul Scanlon on Prejudice, Discrimination & Racism
Books
We Need to Talk About Race – Understanding the Black Experience in White Majority Churches
Films
13th (Netflix)
The U.S. imprisons more people than any other country in the world, and a third of U.S. prisoners are black. In this infuriating documentary, director Ava DuVernay argues that mass incarceration, Jim Crow and slavery are “the three major radicalized systems of control adopted in the United States to date.” (text from npr.org)
Just Mercy
Based on the book of the same name mentioned in our book section.
Articles & Essays
Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race The Guardian (2017)
What does the British public think is and is not racist? (YouGov Report)
White Privilege – Shortcuts to Anti-Racism (via irr.org.uk/)
Asian and Afro-Caribbean Struggles in Britain (Published in 1986)
Taking Action
We must pray, but we must also take action…
Links
56 Black Men
This campaign looks to challenge the lazy and dangerous stereotype of ‘the black man’ and the negative connotations and stigma attached to the cliché image of a black man wearing a hoody. The campaign makes a visually bold statement by showing black men wearing a hoody, while it also features text on what these men currently do for work. It features men from the world of finance, the arts, legal and business, right through to the medical field and more. This is generally the opposite of what society has been conditioned to expect of a black man and in some cases even influences how men view themselves and their ability. You see this reflected through the lack of black representation within the workplace also.
Resourcing Racial Justice
The Resourcing Racial Justice fund is a coalition of people of colour (POC) innovators, change makers, activists, artists and social leaders dedicated to social change. Together, we have established a new UK wide-funding pool to support individuals and communities working towards racial justice.
We seek to do this by upholding a vision for economic democracy that is reparative and progresses visions and practices towards just and sustainable economies. We build upon the legacy and current day work of people of colour working on economic and social justice.
We seek to do this by upholding a vision for economic democracy that is reparative and progresses visions and practices towards just and sustainable economies. We build upon the legacy and current day work of people of colour working on economic and social justice.
Runnymede
Runnymede is the UK’s leading independent race equality think tank. We generate intelligence to challenge race inequality in Britain through research, network building, leading debate, and policy engagement.
Runnymede is working to build a Britain in which all citizens and communities feel valued, enjoy equal opportunities, lead fulfilling lives, and share a common sense of belonging.
In order to effectively overcome racial inequality in our society, we believe that our democratic dialogue, policy, and practice, should all be based on reliable evidence from rigorous research and thorough analysis.
Stand Up to Racism
A racist offensive is sweeping Europe, with governments and the right-wing media using migrants, refugees and Muslims as scapegoats for an economic crisis and wars they did not create.
The racist tide will only be driven back by anti- racists standing up and confronting it. From Germany to Greece to the USA, people who want a society free from racism are saying no more. People are taking to the streets in large numbers to oppose racism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and to say migrants and refugees are welcome here.
Southall Black Sisters
We are a group of black and minority women with years of experience of struggling for women’s human rights in the UK. Although based locally, our work has a national reach.
Southall Black Sisters, a not-for-profit, secular and inclusive organisation, was established in 1979 to meet the needs of Black (Asian and African-Caribbean) women. Our aims are to highlight and challenge all forms gender-related violence against women, empower them to gain more control over their lives; live without fear of violence and assert their human rights to justice, equality and freedom.
We run an; advice, advocacy and resource centre in West London which provides a comprehensive service to women experiencing violence and abuse and other forms of inequality. We offer specialist advice, information, casework, advocacy, counselling and self-help support services in several community languages, especially South Asian languages. Whilst our focus is on the needs of black and minority women, we will not turn any woman away who needs emergency help.
