Racial Justice 

From Lament to Action is a report led by the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Anti-Racism Taskforce. It was published in 2021 and calls for urgent changes to the culture of the Church of England.

The report identified five priority areas in which the Church of England needs to make a notable and lasting change. They are:

1. Participation

Ensuring the full participation of UKME/GMH Anglicans in the life of the Church of England through the use of co-opted powers in governance bodies, new requirements around appointments and fundamental changes to data gathering, targets and reporting.

2. Education

The Church of England plays a vital role in education. This priority area considers content and curriculum development, equipping teachers, tutors and other educators with appropriate training, and making governing boards, teaching staff and the student population more inclusive.

3. Training and Mentoring

To achieve lasting change and to embed anti-racism practice at all levels, the Taskforce proposes mandatory facilitate learning programmes to member anti-racism practice, nationally produced resources for all involved in discernment and formation processes.

4. Young People

This priority area seeks to create opportunities for UKME/GMH young people to participate within the Churhc both locally and systematically, while also seeking to see UKME/GMH young people at the heart of the congregation, which the Church of England historically has not done.

5. Structures and Governance

The Taskforce recommends ‘consciously modifying the structures and governance of the Church of England to allow for the effective participation of UKME/GMH people at every level. This includes amending governance practices, processes and behaviours from PCCs to General Synod.