Report Into Historic Links With Transatlantic Slavery
Read the full report into the Church of England’s historic links to transatlantic chattel slavery and the announcement of a new funding commitment of £100m in response to certain findings.
Biannuals Report of the Archbishops’ Commission for Racial Justice
From Lament to Action
While it may be hard to acknowledge, racism does exist in the Church of England. And we will need to work together to root it out. A good starting point is the Anti-Racism Taskforce report, ‘Lament to Action: Report from the Archbishop’s Anti-Racism Taskforce’, which makes 47 recommendations to achieve lasting change, along with the ‘Third Biannual Report of the Archbishops’ Commission for Racial Justice.’
The Taskforce was set up in 2020, amid rising concern regarding insufficient progress towards racial justice, equality, and inclusion within the Church of England. They started out by researching what had been achieved in terms of racial justice. The results were concerning – while various reports and formal recommendations had been put forward relating to racial justice, there were no clear signs of progress. As the name of the report suggests, the Taskforce determined that urgent action is needed.
“A failure to act now will be seen as another indication, potentially a last straw for many, that the Church is not serious about racial sin. Disregarding a significant part of the population, and thus denying the gifts they bring for the service of the Church, is a loss to us all.”
– From Lament to Action
What Action Does the Report Call For?
The From Lament to Action report calls for action in five key areas – participation, education, training and mentoring, focusing on young people, and structures and governance.
1. Participation
We need to ensure full participation of UK Minority Ethnic (UKME) Anglicans and Global Majority Heritage (GMH) Anglicans in the life of the Church of England. We can do this through new requirements around appointments, the use of co-opted powers in governance bodies, and fundamental changes to data gathering, targets and reporting.
2. Education
There are thousands of Church of England schools across the country, and within these schools we should be working towards racial justice, from equipping teachers to content and curriculum development. We should also ensure that governing boards, teaching staff, and the student population are more inclusive.
3. Training and Mentoring
The Taskforce furthermore recommends learning programmes in order to embed anti-racism practice. They also propose the creation of national resources for anyone involved in discernment and formation processes.
4. Focusing on Young People
As well as in schools, we should be creating opportunities for UKME/GMH young people to take part within the Church, bringing them into the heart of the congregation, which the Church of England historically has not done.
5. Structures and Governance
Unless we amend the structure and governance of the Church, true change won’t be possible. We thus need to modify these things within the Church of England, from General Synod to local PCCs, allowing for the effective participation of UKME/GMH people at every level.
In order to start campaigning for racial justice in your parish, why not download our Racial Justice Action Plan below: