After the lament, action? Racism in the Church of England

Premier Christian Newscast

After the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, the Church of England embarked on a racial reckoning just like so many institutions. This produced a landmark report and a new racial justice unit. But more than three years on, has any progress been made in dismantling prejudice and discrimination in the national church? Were the tumultuous events of 2020 a turning point, as the hierarchy hoped? We speak to ethnic minority clergy, bishops, the racial justice team and others to assess what life is like today for people of colour in the Church of England and if the tumultuous events of 2020 have actually sparked real change. Guests include: • Guy Hewitt, the C of E’s racial justice director • Martyn Snow, the Bishop of Leicester • Augustine Tanner-Ihm and Alwyn Pereira, two vicar whistle-blowers who experienced direct racism • Elizabeth Henry, formerly the church’s national advisor on race and ethnicity • Brunel James, part of the national racial justice unit