October is Black History Month, honouring the contribution of Black people and communities to our common life. There are many such contributions across the Church of England and, of course, here in Lichfield Diocese. A series of videos released across the month will showcase some of these. Marking Black History Month is a crucial part of our Christian commitment to justice, founded on our understanding of the equal value of each human life, loved by God and bearing his image.
There is an added poignancy to thinking about and honouring the contributions of Black people this year as we reflect on the death of Professor Jason Arday in August. As we reflect, we are conscious that assumptions and attitudes about race which many had hoped were being left behind continue to surface in public discourse, causing pain and unease within our communities.
Sudden and unexpected death leaves us with unresolved questions and feelings. Professor Arday’s death brings those questions and emotions particularly close. Our first response must always be lament, compassion, and prayer. Above all, this is the death of a beloved human being, mourned by family, friends, colleagues, and many whose lives were touched by his scholarship and leadership. We honour him without hesitation.
We should be careful not to draw conclusions from his death that we cannot know. Yet neither should caution prevent us from listening to the questions that his death, and the wider public response to it, have raised.
Tragic deaths and public catastrophes reveal something about the culture we inhabit. At such moments, public discourse can quickly turn harsh, judgemental and dehumanising. Social media can amplify this, leaving little room for mercy, change or reconciliation. As Christians, we are called to a different way: to hold together truth and compassion, accountability and grace, always remembering that God made and loves every person. We should have confidence to contribute to public conversation with courage, humility and hope, drawing also upon the wisdom that comes from lived experience.
Within our shared life in the diocese, Professor Arday’s death will resonate in different ways. Experiences of racism, exclusion, cultural misunderstanding and disproportionate scrutiny are real, including within the Church. We therefore want to say clearly to all who carry these experiences: you are seen, your experiences matter, your ministry is valued, and the whole Body of Christ is enriched by your presence, gifts and leadership. It has been said repeatedly that our mission can be invigorated by voices shaped by different histories, origins and cultures. We should not forget the truth of that now.
For those of us who do not share these experiences, this is an invitation to listen rather than explain, to hear stories and perspectives that may not be our own, and to ask whether anything in our relationships, assumptions or institutional culture needs to change. Listening well is itself an act of Christian love, and what we hear should sometimes change us.
Black History Month itself has a history. Its forerunner began in the United States exactly one hundred years ago as Negro History Week. From the beginning, it was an invitation to remember truthfully, to honour lives and stories too often overlooked, and to build a more just common life. As we mark Black History Month here and now, may we receive that invitation afresh: not simply looking back, but asking what kind of Church and society we are helping to build. May we have the courage to cross the bridges between us, to honour one another more deeply, and, in Christ, to grow into a community in which every person is recognised as beloved of God and every gift is welcomed
+Sarah, Bishop of Shrewsbury and Acting Bishop of Lichfield
+Matthew, Bishop of Stafford
+Tim, Bishop of Wolverhampton
+Paul, Bishop of Oswestry