One of the highlights of September at the Cathedral has been the Beating Back the Past exhibition in our Lady Chapel.
The exhibition featured the world’s oldest surviving music manuscript from the voices of enslaved people on the sugar plantations of Barbados and was accompanied by artwork from the Gloucester-based artist Rider Shafique and the photographer Vanley Burke. Inspired by the historical slave song, their art sought to delve into the impact of the transatlantic slave trade from their perspectives as descendants of Caribbean enslaved people. It was a powerful opportunity for reflection and also for learning. We were reminded that the difficult lessons of the past are crucial in shaping a more just future, something that we are very proud to proclaim across the diocese.
With this in mind, it was a particular honour to have been invited in June to chair the newly formed West Midlands Regional Racial Justice Board. The Board oversees the work of the Regional Racial Justice Initiative, a joint venture between the Dioceses of Birmingham, Coventry, Gloucester, Hereford, Lichfield and Worcester.
Emerging from the From Lament to Action report in 2020, the Initiative will seek through theological education, resourcing, advocacy, and community engagement to enable a more just and equitable Church that reflects and celebrates the theological truth of the love of God in Jesus Christ for each and every single person, of whatever ethnicity, background, heritage, or characteristic.
The Regional Racial Justice Team, led by the Revd Evie Vernon O’Brien, will work across the six dioceses of the West Midlands region to foster this unity and reconciliation, to share stories and learning, and to support local projects aimed at creating a transformed future where everyone can flourish regardless of their race or ethnic identity.
At some stage in 2025, there will be a major service in the region to celebrate the work of the Initiative and to share more about the Initiative’s plans for the time to come. Please look out for details in a future Bulletin. In the meantime, please do keep the Board, the Team and the Initiative in your prayers.
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