Crystal’s Vardo Sparks Learning and Understanding in Kidderminster
Supported by a WMRJI grant, Crystal’s Vardo engaged school pupils and local communities, celebrating Gypsy, Roma and Traveller history while inspiring conversations about culture, prejudice, understanding and inclusion.
Wrestling with Imperial Christianity: Reflections from conversations with Canon Dr Mukti Barton
What happens when the Bible is taken out of the hands of empire and read again as a text of liberation? In these notes and reflections from a workshop with Canon Dr Mukti Barton, Kevin Thompson explores a fierce challenge to Western Christianity: that scripture has too often been weaponised to bless empire, racial hierarchy, […]
Walking Through Hidden Histories in Worcester
Joseph Diwakar, Co-Chair of the Worcester diocese Racial Justice Forum, writes: “A group from our diocesan community recently visited St Anne’s, Bewdley, to take part in the Bewdley Black History Walking Tour. The resource was created by local residents, including several members of St Ann’s congregation, to explore how this picturesque riverside town connects to […]
Worcester Diocese Deepens Commitment to Racial Justice
The Diocese of Worcester Racial Justice Forum met in January to begin thinking about our plans for 2026. The forum has two new Chairs, Jacqueline Shalloe, parish priest in Kidderminster and Joseph Diwakar, Diocesan Director of Mission and Ministry, and we are developing our action plan to sit alongside our approved diocesan Racial Justice Charter. […]
International Evening – Microgrant Story
St Boniface Church, Quinton in Birmingham, recently hosted a vibrant International Evening celebrating the theme Culture, Faith, Family. Supported by a £480 grant from the West Midlands Racial Justice Initiative, the event brought together over 100 participants from diverse backgrounds. The funding enabled an inclusive evening filled with global dishes, cultural displays, music, storytelling, and opportunities […]
See and be seen: A Call to Radical Christian Witness on Racial Justice Sunday
In a powerful address at Birmingham Cathedral on 8 February for Racial Justice Sunday, Canon Dawn Brathwaite – Chair of the West Midlands Racial Justice (WMRJ) Regional Board – called on us to take seriously the hostility and anxiety experienced by racially minoritised communities, and urged the Church to move beyond passive concern into visible, […]
Remembering Together: A Living Tribute in Hereford Diocese
Two Church of England primary schools in the Diocese of Hereford have marked Holocaust Memorial Day with a moving act of remembrance, planting flowering cherry trees as lasting tributes to the children whose lives were stolen in the Holocaust. Their ceremonies brought pupils into meaningful interfaith conversation, grounded in the powerful testimony of a local […]
ANIC 3rd Intercultural Mission Conference
On 21 March 2026, something vibrant unfolded in Wolverhampton as the Anglican Network for Intercultural Churches gathered for its 3rd Intercultural Mission Conference, supported in part, by a microgrant from the West Midlands Racial Justice Initiative. From the opening sense of “a foretaste of Revelation 7:9” to the call to move “from symbolic inclusion to […]
Data Evidence Postcard – May 2026
Strengths: UKME/GMH participation is already 13%, giving the diocesan synods a solid base to grow equitable leadership. Weaknesses: The fall from 13% UKME/GMH attendance to 9% in leadership suggests structural barriers in selection, sponsorship, and whose voices shape decisions. Opportunities: Grow and encourage UKME/GMH representation by reviewing routes into leadership, setting targets, investing in mentoring and sharing roles. […]
Seasons of Justice Podcast with Dr. Jill Ford, and Ian Collinge
Tune in to our latest episode of Seasons of Justice from West Midlands Racial Justice Initiative, featuring Dr. Jill Ford and Ian Collinge from All Nations College. In this Pentecost season, we explore what it means for the Church to honour many voices in practice, through repair and shared power, not one-off gestures. The conversation […]