Black Lives Matter

Alongside our response to COVID-19 and the easing of the lockdown we have seen a crying out for racial justice across the world. The Black Lives Matter protests in summmer 2020 across Hereford, Ross-on-Wye, Telford, Bridgnorth and many other towns in our diocese, led to a group forming who wish to respond with love and compassion as part of efforts to tackle racial injustice.

We know that there is work for us to do in this area and we are starting to look at this across a number of areas:

• Challenge and address institutional racism, listening to and learning from the experiences of UK minority ethnic people;
• Recruit and support more UK minority ethnic clergy, staff and volunteers;
• Acknowledge and repent of the Church’s past involvement in and benefit from the slave trade;
• Make our churches truly welcoming to everyone, taking responsibility for the need for profound cultural change in our Church.
• Work with others in Hereford Diocese and the Church of England to bring these things about

Our record in this area in the Church of England is not good and Bishop Richard is encouraging us to begin by looking at ourselves. 

In May 2021 the Church of England issued a report and recommendations - moving from Lament to Action.  The document proposes a suite of changes to begin bringing about a change of culture in the life of the Church of England.