Right Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the C of E's first female black bishop in a stinging rebuke against government ministers and others “who are threatened” by the social justice movement has declared “Woke” should not be used as a negative term. Speaking at General Synod Hudson-Wilkin said such people want others to think it was a “sin created by the left.”

“When it comes to the topic of racial justice, I have heard the word ‘woke’ being bandied about by many people, including government ministers, certain radio presenters and those in the media. And in every case, they’ve used it incorrectly. The term woke originated in the USA and it was a black terminology, speaking specifically and directly to black people regarding the need to wake up and stay alert, to be consciously aware. So it is not just a mere word, it is a movement.

“Those who are threatened by the authenticity of this movement want to scare us into thinking that being woke is a sin created by people on the left. But as the people of God, we should never be afraid or embarrassed of being called an advent people, always in the business of preparing and staying alert. So I want to address the elephant in the room… in case there is anybody nurturing those incorrect thoughts and mumbling under one’s breath or to your neighbour, ‘here we go again’, negatively using the term woke.

“We must remain awake to the reality that the church’s commitment to racial justice is not the church attempting to follow the world’s direction of travel regarding inclusion, equality and diversity, but instead it is a given. It comes from a deep desire to follow the lead of Christ.”

The issue of racial justice was not an “optional extra that we can choose to address if we feel like it. The racial justice mandate flows not from identity politics, but from our primary identity in Christ. The gospel calls us to prophetically address head-on the evils in our society, indeed in our world, which leave some parts of humanity dehumanised.”

The General Synod, the C of E’s ruling assembly, decided by 364-0 votes that all parishes should develop local action plans to address racial injustice and dioceses should collect relevant data on race and ethnicity.

​Read more here and here.

Last night 60 people attended a screening of the MJR documentary ​‘After the Flood: the church, slavery and reconciliation' at the Light Cinema in Stockport. Organised by Stockport Racial Equality Partnership and United Stockport Methodist Circuit In partnership with the Movement for Reconciliation and Justice charity, the screening was followed by a conversation and Q&A hosted by S-REP's Aba Graham with panel members: Rev Cathy Bird, Rev Raj Patta and historian Linford Sweeney.

​If you would like to host a screening of After the Flood, find out more here.

According to a report by the Black Equity Organisation two-thirds of Black people in the UK have experienced prejudice from healthcare professionals, but Black women in particular felt that their concerns were not being listened to. This is why Health Secretary Steven Barclay last week telling NHS Trusts to stop recruiting diversity officers has met with protest from front-line staff. His comments came just hours before a major report by the care regulator revealed huge inequalities in the healthcare system, with ethnic minority communities being among the most likely to receive poor care.

The "strong Black woman" stereotype has its roots in slavery, when the myth emerged that Black people had a higher pain threshold, according to social historian Professor David Olusoga. “That idea is still in the subconscious of both Black people and clinicians.”

​Read more in this article which also includes a number of individual stories.

Screenings of 'After the Flood: the church, slavery and reconciliation' continue to take place around the UK and other countries. Coming up during Black History Month are two in Greater Manchester. Both followed by discussion.

• ​Monday October 23, 1pm, Brunswick Church. Free, no booking necessary.
• Wednesday October 25, 6:30pm, the Light Cinema, Stockport. Free, click here to book a ticket.

​

This article by Jane Shaw in the November issue of Prospect magazine discusses the Church of England's new £100m fund for “projects focused on improving opportunities for communities impacted by historic transatlantic chattel slavery”, saying it should be called what it is: reparations. Coming out of an admission of complicity in the trade of captive human beings known as the transatlantic slave trade, the church seeks reconciliation with the communities who suffered. The article asks if this can be found and looks at the history of calls for reparations from within the church.

In setting up this fund the Church of England has joined other institutions such as Lloyd's insurance and Greene King Brewers and the group 'Heirs of Slavery, composed of descendants of some of Britain's wealthiest slave-owning families, in taking action. Though welcomed as a first step it is pointed out  that the £100m sum "is less than 1 per cent of the Church Commissioners’ £10.3bn fund and will be taken from its income over a period of nine years, so that the original endowment remains untouched." 

A useful read to go alongside watching the MJR documentary ‘After the Flood: the church, slavery and reconciliation'. Read the article here.

This is the title of a new report from the Runnymede Trust to mark 30 years since the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence. This is from the introduction:

Racism is often a matter of life and death. This was never more true than for Stephen Lawrence, a bright young man who dreamed of becoming an architect. 
Stephen was murdered by racist strangers as he made his way home with a friend in South East London, 30 years ago. The fight for justice that followed, led by Stephen’s grieving parents, has brought us all to know Stephen’s name, and carry forward his legacy. 
Stephen’s murder changed the country, and was core to progressing racial equality in the UK. This report, produced in partnership by the Runnymede Trust and Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation, is intended as a small contribution to mark this difficult anniversary and assess just how far we have come as a nation in the last 30 years. 
In 'Dear Stephen', we reveal the points of hope and connection in our communities, at a time when the UK feels increasingly polarised. Data from the British Social Attitudes Survey shows that, although people feel the world around them is becoming more hateful and prejudiced, people’s own attitudes are shifting in a much more positive trajectory, and that race, inclusion and belonging are not such divisive issues as we are led to believe.

​Download the report here.

The MJR documentary film 'After the Flood' was one of 6 nominees in the TV/Video category at this year's Sandford Awards, which took place in Manchester on June 21. The deserving winner was 'Children of the Ukraine', runner-up 'David Baddiel: Jews Don't Count'. The other nominees were all BBC, ITV C4 and RTE commissions, so we felt proud to be there at all! It says much about the amazing job director Sheila Marshall and her team did with the comparatively small budget we were able to give them. Lots of nice things were said to us about 'After the Flood' on the evening, and our hope is that it will open new opportunities for the film to be screened more widely and to access more resources for MJR to promote the film. Like to help? Please email us.

Photos L-R (click for a larger image): Sheila Marshall and Paul Keeble with Rev Ian Rutherford (host of the first Manchester screening), and Rabbi Warren Elf (Faith Network 4 Manchester), Alton Bell on the ATF preview film, presentation to the winners, ATF Commendation.

The screening of MJR documentary ‘After the Flood: the church, slavery and reconciliation' at the University of Manchester on April 19 was followed by a Q&A session with an appreciative but questioning audience. The panel consisted of: ​

• Professor Robert Beckford, Director of the Institute of Climate and Social Justice, University of Winchester.
• Dr Elizabeth Henry, Racial Justice Advisor/Consultant and Activist, former National Advisor for Minority-Ethnic Anglican Concerns.
• Phyllis Thompson, Former Director of Education for the New Testament Church of God, England and Wales.
• Fr Azariah France-Williams, Rector of Ascension Church, Hulme.
• Dr Natalie Zaceck, Senior Lecturer, English and American Studies. Research areas: social and cultural history, race, slavery and abolition, gender and sexuality, material culture, the history of urbanism and the built environment.

Organiser Prof Dawn Edge commented: "My overall sense was that the questions from the attendees reflected a general desire to see real change, reconciliation and  reparations. Your responses were informative and provided practical solutions to a difficult discussion, reflecting  that whilst Manchester University has acknowledged the need to move beyond discussion,  the work must continue in earnest. I do hope that we  can continue to work with you to ensure that together  we can move this agenda forward."

The event was fully booked meaning some were turned away. This meant a number of 'no-shows' was a disappointment.

'After the Flood' continues to have an impact and generate discussion and reflection as it is screened in various places around the country. As we approach and pass milestones such as the 30th anniversary of the murder of Stephen Lawrence and the 75th anniversary of Windrush, the issues it raises remain important. If you would like to host a screening where you are please send MHR an email. If you would like to hire or purchase the film click here.

The biggest and most comprehensive survey of race inequality in the UK for more than a quarter of a century has found that more than a third of people from ethnic and religious minorities have experienced racially motivated physical or verbal abuse. The two-year research project declares that “Britain is not close to being a racially just society.” Its detailed evidence of discrimination and unfairness directly challenges the findings of the government-commissioned Sewell report on racial disparities of 2021, agreeing with many at the time who argued it downplayed the existence and impact of structural and institutional racism in the UK.

The study was led by Nissa Finney, professor of human geography at the University of St Andrews, who said it showed racism was “part of the daily lives” of people from ethnic minorities. Halima Begum, chief executive of the race equality thinktank the Runnymede Trust, said:  “Sadly, few ethnic minority Britons will be surprised by the findings."

Commenting on the report on Channel 4 News, Professor Jason Ardey, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, said: "There are no immediate shocks or surprises. In some respects it's more of the same. It reflects the glacial change that's transpired in the last twenty or thirty years in relation to race, equality and mobilising greater race equality in the UK. What we are seeing is that racism is a systemic and institutional problem. It's ability to re-invent itself and pivot to the prevailing inequalities that exist is in some respects quite impressive in a strange way."

The research, produced by the Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity at Manchester University, will be published this week in a book Racism and Ethnic Inequality in a Time of Crisis. It claims to be the most extensive survey of racial inequalities since 1997. Read more here.