Rev Guy Hewitt will take up this post in November and lead the Church’s Racial Justice Unit. It follows a recommendation from the unit in its April 2021 report 'From Lament to Action'. The announcement follows the resignation of the Archbishops' Adviser for Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns, Dr Sanjee Perera who hinted a potential tension over her role's continued place alongside the Archbishops' Racial Justice Commission.

Ordained in 2005 Rev Hewitt has a background in social policy and development, working internationally on issues of marginalisation, economic enfranchisement, racial justice, youth empowerment, and gender equality. He is a staunch critic of the UK government over its handling of the Windrush scandal, saying in 2018: “The UK is still not at ease with race. Colonial history is still not taught here. The modern global Britain, with a multicultural society, is still an aspiration rather than a reality.”

Chair of MJR Rev Alton Bell commented: "Although MJR welcomes the appointment of the CofE's first racial justice director, we hope this is not just another PR exercise analogous to the shuffling of the deckchairs on the Titanic. We want to see concrete evidence of change. We want the CofE to take the lead in reparatory justice practices, such as: changing the way slavery is taught in schools, advocating for a national memorial to those who were enslaved, and returning stolen artifacts. We wholeheartedly welcome the new racial justice director if this new position is a catalyst for systemic change".

​Read more here.

This article by Nadine White, race correspondent for The Independent is headlined: 'The Commonwealth Games are rooted in slavery – let’s consign the event to history'. Despite being a fan of sport, White says this particular event "sticks in my throat because the Commonwealth, as an institution, is rooted in chattel slavery and the brutalisation of African people."

She continues: "After the abolition of slavery in 1833, financially prosperous Britain skipped off into the sunset without investing in the economies of its former sources of slaves in any meaningful way – and those left behind in the former colonies have grappled with poverty and destitution ever since. Britain paid nothing to the freed slaves in an attempt to redress the injustices they suffered."

Most of the 56 member states of the Commonwealth are former British colonies. But "the wealth is not common. ... The Commonwealth purports to be about 'promoting justice and human rights', yet reparatory justice for chattel slavery, a heinous crime perpetrated against African people by colonialists, has not been paid." The Commonwealth Games should be: "scrapped and replaced with a sporting event that isn’t bonded by racial trauma against a backdrop of Eurocentric denialism".

Read the full article here.

MJR were invited to screen our documentary ‘After the Flood: the church, slavery and reconciliation' at the Lambeth Conference, the once every 10 years gathering of the leadership of the Worldwide Anglican Communion. The screening took place on Friday evening in a cinema that was part of the conference venue. About 45 attended, including Bishops from Sri Lanka, South Africa and other countries. A lively discussion followed led by MJR Chair Rev Alton Bell and trustee Paul Keeble, at which the film's impact and potential as a resource was noted. The challenge, as always, is, having seen 'After the Flood', and gained new knowledge – what, practically, will we do with it?

Find our more about screening 'After the Flood' where you are. Buy or rent 'After the Flood'.

MJR documentary ‘After the Flood: the church, slavery and reconciliation' has been reviewed by Churches Together in England (CTE). "For reconciliation to take place there is much work to do to correct the societal disadvantages of black Britons. The film calls upon the churches to recognise their legacy, acknowledge wrongdoing and make reparations." Read the full review here.