Paper 6.2: Working Group on Racial Justice report for the Diocesan Synod
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Submitted on Ascension Day 26 May 2022
Introduction
The document BREATHING LIFE was adopted as Diocesan Policy at the Diocesan Synod in December 2020 after chaplaincies were able to engage with the draft. Breathing Life was presented to the Archbishops of the Church of England as a contribution from our Diocese. The Archbishops found the contributions valuable and circulated it to all Bishops.
The Working Group was entrusted with the task of conducting an audit to assess where our diocese stands in terms of this policy document. A request from the Diocesan Bishop went out to all chaplaincies to complete an audit form and return it to the Chair of the Working Group by June 30th 2021. The audit was an invitation to chaplaincies to share in belonging together through racial justice and feel able to cooperate and support the Working Group as they evaluate where we stand in the Diocese in Europe, a Diocese that is committed to giving Racial Justice a central place in its way of life. 28 chaplaincies returned the form filled in; a few others sent a short report instead. The Audit Report (see further below) forms part of this report.
Terminology
As we mentioned in BREATHING LIFE, we do not use the acronym BAME but spell out Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic repeatedly in order that it enter the vernacular. However, in the Church of England this terminology is not used frequently and even in our Diocese, we realise that there are other contextually relevant terms that can be used as we move our racial justice agenda forward. We are therefore also engaged in fine-tuning our terminology.
The Law Society in its guidance noted below highlights the advantages of the use of the terminology “Minoritised Ethnic” or “Racially Minoritised”:
‘Minoritised Ethnic’ (or the similar term ‘Racially Minoritised’) has been recommended more recently
as it recognises that individuals have been minoritised through social processes of power and domination rather than just existing in distinct statistical minorities. It also better reflects the fact that ethnic groups that are minorities in the UK and elsewhere are majorities in the global population.
The Working Group on Racial Justice has grappled with this problem and in the light of the audit information and other comments, has agreed to work with the term Racially Minoritised.
We have argued in Breathing Life that where appropriate we will be using the term People of Colour, meaning a self-understanding of people who have experienced racism. Like the terms Black or White, the term People of Colour does not mean different shades of colour here; rather it represents exclusion or marginalisation due to racism. This continues to be the case and we will continue to use it where suitable.
Audit report
The audit results are given below. We are, however, aware that some key chaplaincies with a range of people from all over the world, will have implemented the recommendations of the Working Group only in their AGMS for 2022. We will therefore have to work towards organising a further audit.
A lot of work still needs to be done to create awareness of those in a racially minoritised situation in the Diocese in Europe. This is a snapshot from the Archdeaconries in the Diocese. We are aware that some key chaplaincies with significant numbers of People of Colour, for various reasons, have not been able to send in their audit forms, such as Grenoble, Lille, Paris, Amsterdam etc. We will continue this survey in order to get a more comprehensive picture from more chaplaincies. The figures received, however, show that most chaplaincies have less than 25% of racially minoritised people in important positions in the church. There were a few comments that were received. They are summarised as follows:
‘Overall, we think that as a local church we are less affected by the issues of institutional racism raised by the report. We have had people of colour in positions of responsibility since the 1990s. In the relatively recent past, we have as a church appointed an Indian as our Treasurer, a Nigerian as a member of the Standing and Finance Committee and a Zimbabwean as Churchwarden. We see this as a positive response to the need expressed in Breathing Life’.
‘As far as we are concerned everyone is equal, and there is an explicit expectation that everyone who attends our church respects each other as their equal – no matter what they look like, sound like or what they ‘have’ - or ‘have not’. If anything is said or done that is offensive, it is immediately challenged. I pray for a time when the colour of a person's skin, their gender or how they chose to identify, is not seen, recognised, or considered on any level. We are all children of God, made in His image. Surely that was His plan, so who are we to question why He made us all look different?’
‘We are welcoming of all faiths, all cultures, all ethnicities and treat everyone with the same respect. But what we do not do, is look at the colour of anyone's skin, which is completely in line with what we are taught in the gospel’.
Other activities of the working group
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Ozichi Baron has become the Bishop’s Adviser for discernment. It is a 5-year assignment. This is an important role to raise awareness on racial justice matters, such as, diversity and inclusion while interviewing candidates for priesthood. On a few occasions candidates seemed surprised to be interviewed by a young black lay minister living in Brussels and did not hesitate in asking Ozichi Baron what she was doing in Brussels and how she had become an Adviser.
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This could indicate that racially minoritised people are not fully accepted in major roles in the church. The fact that one of the members of the Working Group on racial justice is the Bishop ́s Adviser for discernment is making visible that the Diocese is taking issues pertaining to racial justice seriously.
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Ozichi Baron has also become one of the Bishop’s nominees to the Diocesan Synod, which is once again an opportunity to create more awareness on the importance of diversity and inclusion in our community and Diocese. Furthermore, she has become a member of the Diversity and Inclusion team of the European institutions, which aims to create a more diverse and inclusive Europe by tackling racial injustice and discrimination in the institutions.
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Revd Canon Smitha Prasadam has been elected to General Synod and serves on the Diocesan Synod in that capacity. She has championed racial justice and galvanised change locally and Diocese-wide by responding to invitations to speak and train many chaplaincies, chapters and Archdeaconry Synods including France and the North-West and has led Bible Studies for the Nordic and Baltic and German Deaneries and the Eastern Archdeaconry.
She has delivered Unconscious Bias Training for Vocational Advisors, IME 2 Curates, and will shortly deliver the same to all Training Incumbents of the Diocese. Smitha was Keynote Speaker on Racial Justice at the Annual Meeting of CAECG which met in Hamburg. Elected to the National Board of “Himmelskedage” in Denmark (Kirchentag), she led services in Roskilde Cathedral at Ascensiontide around the Lord’s Prayer, highlighting the plight of minoritized and persecuted Christians, with special guest Asia Bibi. She serves as a member of the Executive Committee of AMEN (Anglican Minority Ethnic Network) where she keeps the Diocese of Europe at the fore. As a Board Member of the Cross-Cultural Centre in Denmark, her current work is focused on the plight of racialised refugees – a consequence of the war in Ukraine. Widening access and representation in her own Chaplaincy has seen the first of racially minoritised ordinand, 2 Churchwardens, and Spiritual Director in training (the first in the Diocese in Europe). Smitha is also the retreat conductor for the spiritual directors.
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Members of the Working Group have delivered presentations on Breathing Life at the meeting of the Lay Leadership Group and at ecumenical functions and events.
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There have been a number of speaking assignments at Archdeaconry Synods.
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Revd Augustine Nwaekwe regularly participates and provides insight at the Ministry Team meetings of the Diocese as well at the Minority Ethnic Vocations Conferences at both national and regional church levels. He is furthermore in regular conversations with the Minority Ethnic National Adviser and the DDO and Director of Spiritual Development on Minority Ethnic support and concerns.
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Some of the tasks that Leslie Nathaniel is engaged in include encouraging discussions on the subject in ecumenical bodies, such as the World Council of Churches and other partners. As an elected member on the theological working group of the Nordkirche of the EKD, he has sought to share and take forward the racial justice agenda. He has provided some significant input to the Lay Discipleship Course of our diocese with key perspectives from the Global South.
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Taking forward, in different bodies, the instrument of advocacy in delivering racial justice.
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Responding to various questions from chaplaincies.
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Offering support for prospective and current Minority Ethnic candidates in their vocational discernment journey.
Looking ahead
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The group is working towards organising a major international conference on racial justice in 2023.
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Conduct a fresh audit this year with greater participation. It is hoped that Synod Members will encourage chaplaincies to respond.
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Use the area on the Diocese’s website to highlight the importance of inclusion in the House of God. This area will contain a prayer and a bible verse on diversity and inclusion. The prayer booklet that we are working on will be posted here.
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Work towards amending the so-called BAME Ministry Page to showcase activities undertaken by different chaplaincies across Europe to promote diversity and inclusion. Chaplaincies will be invited to share their activities on this page for a week before handing over to the next chaplaincy.
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Add two additional members to the WG who bring long-term living experience in the Global South and increase lay representation.
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Prepare and publish a prayer booklet.
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Organise, collate, and publish a series of bible studies on the theme Racial Justice.
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The WG will conduct training programmes as necessary on the diocesan policy and developments on racial justice.
These training programmes will become webinars and would be put up on the Diocese’s website as resources.
Finally, and most importantly, as a matter of liturgical tradition in our diocese, it is recommended that congregations be always invited to say the Lord’s Prayer in their own first language.
Our theology
In terms of our Theology, we continue to affirm and emphasize the theology in the diocesan policy of December 2020:
Rationale of our belonging together
We are moving from “once not being a people to now being a people” (1 Peter 2.10); from exclusion to inclusion. This is central to belonging. People of colour need to experience belonging.
Quoting Rowan Williams:
“Those who were once strays, migrants, exiles, foreigners, are now insiders. They now belong. They are neither a collection of random individuals nor a group of barely tolerated marginal oddities. They are citizens of a proper civic community. In other words belonging to God’s people is being neither Jew nor Gentile. It is a 3rd reality beyond the rival identities of different sorts of insider – the insideness of the Jew confident of God’s choice of Israel and the confidence of the Roman citizen”
(see Meeting God in Paul, Rowan Williams).
Biblical Imperative – Embracing a people ́s theology (reflections ongoing)
The logic of the cross is the hope that violence and injustice will be overcome. If we as Christians wish to embrace the challenges of the cross, we are compelled to also see such challenges through the eyes of those discriminated against. As we have noted in Breathing Life there is merit in using George Floyd ́s dying words “I can’t breathe” for God breathes life into creation; we hear the last breath of God’s Son on the cross, and moreover, the resurrected Christ breathes peace on his disciples. We should put this within the framework of an activity which breathes new life into the old – or breathes new life altogether.
The Black Movement for racial justice in the 1960s showed the relevance of a people ́s theology. The music known as spirituals continues to touch the hearts and minds of people across the world. A person of colour listening to the songs “He is King of Kings, He is Lord of Lords; Jesus Christ, The First and Last” or “We Shall Overcome” would immediately understand this call to freedom; a freedom in Christ and liberation from any shackles. No preacher nor theologian is required. The following Bible verses provide the framework within which we can locate any work on racial justice; from which all other justice will naturally flow.
Galatians 3.28 – “There is no longer Jew or Greek, slave and free, there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” This is a seminal verse, which can resonate with fresh meaning in our current context. Paul would like us to understand belonging in a different way. A belonging which makes origins, status and the like inconsequential. All meet at the same level in Christ Jesus.
Deuteronomy 16.20 – “Justice and only justice shall you pursue”. From the Torah itself we hear time and again God ́s call for justice for all. Speaking out means that silence is not an option; it is the extended arm of racism. Exodus is liberation; Incarnation is God in our midst; the Holy Spirit is empowerment for transformation. Good theology compels racial justice as God ́s creative call.
Matthew 5.6 – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled.” The Beatitudes call into question our whole way of life. Looked at differently, racial justice could be our: “Be: Attitude”. How do we show our hunger and thirst for righteousness? After all, what is righteousness, but justice?
26 May 2022 (Ascension Day)
Members of the Working Group
The Revd Canon Smitha Prasadam – Chaplain of St Alban’s Copenhagen, member of the General Synod and Diocesan BAME Advisor.
Ms Ozichi Baron, Brussels – Bishops Advisor for Discernment.
The Revd Augustine Nwaekwe – Chaplain of Ostend, Bruges and Knokke; Diocesan BAME Advisor.
The Ven Dr Leslie Nathaniel – Archdeacon of Germany and Northern Europe and the East (Chair).