It is one year since George Floyd was murdered on 25th May 2020 in Minneapolis (US).
To commemorate this and to remember and refresh our commitment to the ethos of racial justice and Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) is holding George Floyd Service of Reflection at 7pm, 25 May 2021. You can download the order of service here and information flyer here.
As part of its series of webinars on 'building life-flourishing communities' The Council for World (CWM) Europe has organised Whiteness and Anti-racist practice: from talk to action with Revd. Dr Peter Cruchley | Photography from BLM Protests with Maxime de Palme | Theological Implications for the Legacies of Slavery with Prof. Anthony Reddie. All these and several other webinars on topical themes can be viewed on CWM Europe YouTube Channel.
However, in Luton, to commemorate Black Lives Matter - One Year On, Luton Council of Faiths, supported by GRASSROOTS Programme held a special meeting of faith leaders and other stakeholders on 24th May and invited Pas Vincent Cox of Luton based New Testament Church of God, as a local black faith leader to speak about co-developing an Interdenominational Commission on Racial Justice of Christian faith leaders.
Pas Vincent started by sharing that after the death of George Floyd and after Luton Black Lives Matter Protest was organised by Luton’s young people peacefully on 6th June 2020, we as Churches Together in Luton had considered issuing a statement but we concluded that statements on its own do not bring about the change that is needed. As black & white church leaders we started sharing experiences of racial injustices and prejudice, which progressed into an Interdenominational Commission on Racial Justice. Pas Vincent concluded “we need to be mindful of the fact that real change may bring pain and we must be ready to confront it.”
When asked what expected outcomes of this commission are, Pas Vincent responded;
Discerning, defining and understanding what does it mean to be black in the UK/Luton? How black communities and people often find themselves at the bottom of the upside down pyramid of the so-called BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) communities?
Identifying and articulating disadvantages that the black communities face, before articulating solutions and strategies to create equity around those disadvantages.
Acknowledging how UK and Churches, nationally and/or locally may have benefited from the profits of the slavery.
Influencing Curriculum to highlight and acknowledge the contributions of the African and Caribbean communities beyond their contributions in the world wars
Creating awareness of the Black Lives Matter Motion passed recently by the Luton Council – what does it mean for the town, for the black people. https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/news/unanimous-luton-council-agreement-for-communitys-black-lives-matter-action-plan/
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We express our solidarity with the family and friends of Sasha Johnson: Black Lives Matter activist who has been shot in London.
https://www.connectfutures.org/2021/05/is-the-uk-still-racist-and-what-have-we-done-about-it/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/black-lives-matter-movement
Black Lives Matter protest in Luton held on 6th June 2020