Posted on: 10th October 2024

October is Black History Month. Last year Dwayne Hutchinson the Faith and Racial Justice Lead at LCI shared a post in which he called out the tokenistic way many organisations respond to Black History Month. You can read that reflection HERE.

At LCI we have responded to this challenge. Black History and Black Theology have become central to our work around marginalisation as we have discovered the rich layers of intersectionality that encompass all the areas we work on.

At its core this is about how we respond to the calls for justice for those who are oppressed and marginalised found throughout scripture. In just one example in Isaiah 1:17, we are challenged to:

“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed.”

Here are some short reflections from the LCI staff team on the ways in which we are learning what it means to seek justice for those at the margins in Leeds today.

Paul – Faith at the Margins Lead

I have been reading Angela Parker’s If God Still Breathes, why can’t I? While this book is written from an American perspective, there is a lot to be learned, particularly through her challenge of what Parker describes as “White supremacist authoritarianism”. Reading as a white male I had expected to find this uncomfortable and challenging. However, I have instead been surprised by the ways in which Parker’s focus on the value and importance of her lived embodied experience as a black woman have resonated with my experience of marginalisation due to disability, and the stories and experiences of marginalisation we have encountered in our work across the city.

Bronagh – Faith and Creativity Lead

‘Suspended States’ is Yinka Shonibare’s catalogue from his 2024 exhibition at the Serpentine, London, which has reinforced my practice of using fine art as a conduit for learning on social justice within a faith context. I am inspired by his use of vibrant, patterned fabric across installations, prints, and sculptures, symbolic of the tangled relationship between Africa and Europe and the impact of trans-Atlantic slavery on today’s society. His art which questions ecology, public monuments, and shelter has only gained urgency in recent years. None more so than his 2023 ‘Hibiscus Rising’ sculpture which was the backdrop to our faith and creativity sketch walk here in Leeds, where people of faith, along with West Yorkshire police, reflected on the death of Nigerian-born British citizen David Oluwale, the inspiration for the iconic Leeds sculpture.

Dwayne – Faith and Racial Justice Lead

Testament to Truth Videos

It’s true. These experiences are true. The agony is honest. The anger is real. The shock that we are still here as a society battling racism is legitimate. The understanding that racism still exists in the Church and the reality that some churches have deep roots of racism that continue to negatively impact Christianity today is ridiculous. For us to neglect the true stories of people that experience racism, with limited platforms to hear their stories, can feed into the notion that racism no longer exists, and belittle the lived experiences of people, or maybe consider their stories as a myth. Nope. It is true.

In both of the originally commissioned videos relating to faith and racial justice work by Leeds Church Institute that was further innovated by these Church of England resources, Testament brings to life the true stories of people who may never have the opportunity to share their stories on platforms for everyone to hear, understand, and see. These videos are definitely thought-provoking and will be beneficial learning resources for everyone irrespective of their beliefs.

Testament to Truth: Visitor

Testament to Truth: Chocolate Digestive

Emma – LCI Communications Manager

“God is Not a White Man (and other revelations)” is so moving, primarily because none of what Chine McDonald writes should be a revelation - God is not white, God is not a man, white Christianity is not superior, and the treatment of Black women by the Church and UK society has been abhorrent. It’s too easy to internalise racist narratives in a society built on racism, and white allies must constantly remind ourselves of these truths which should be obvious. The heartbreaking facts and experiences she recounts hit home even harder thanks to Chine’s authentic, matter-of-fact storytelling style.

On Wednesday 23rd October we will continue to focus on how the church can bring about lasting change for racial justice, as we welcome Richard Reddie to give this year’s Hook Lecture on the topic of Turning Key Moments into Movements for Change. We invite you to join us in making sure that the focus on Black History and the call for Christ-centred justice does not stop at the end of October, but is carried forward throughout the year informing all of our work with those who are marginalised in society today.