A black bishop who led prayers at Harry and Meghan’s royal wedding has declared it is good to be ‘woke’ – amid claims of racism plaguing the Church of England.
The Rt Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the Bishop of Dover, has insisted that the British religious body must ‘further embrace racial justice’ and show no fear of being called ‘woke’.
Pro-Black Lives Matter supporter Bishop Hudson-Wilkin, who was involved in the 2018 wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, draws up a ‘race action plan’ calling on the CofE to increase the number of ethnic minorities in senior church positions .
“Those who fear the authenticity of this movement want to scare us into thinking that wokeness is a sin created by people on the left,” the Kent-based religious leader said.
The General Synod, the church’s legislative body, on Sunday passed a motion — introduced by Bishop Hudson-Wilkin — saying it should “encourage parishes and deaneries to develop local action plans to address issues of racial injustice.”
Rt Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, who was involved in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s 2018 wedding (pictured), said it’s good to be ‘awake’ as she leads a new diversity mission within the Church of England
In her motion, Bishop of Dover Rose Hudson-Wilkin (pictured) also called for better data collection to monitor diversity levels in parishes
It comes as members of the religious order opened up about the racism they faced during their lives.
Lawyer Daniel Matovu, a lay member of the Synod and a graduate of Oxford University, claimed he had been forced to wear a cross all his life “because of the color of my skin.”
“You white people have no idea, especially those of you who are white male, heterosexual and non-disabled,” said Mr Matovu, who as a boy attended the elite private school of Eton College, which charges £48,998 per years, after he moved to Great Britain from Great Britain. Uganda.
“You’ve only been given small sticks to carry with which to beat the rest of us.”
David Hermitt, another lay member, said the CofE needs to take a stronger stand on tackling racism to reverse falling membership figures, because ‘young people’ are ‘more radical than us’.
But Dr. Rakib Ehsan, the author of Beyond Grievance: What the Left Gets Wrong About Ethnic Minorities, claimed that ‘no sphere of British life’ was free from ‘divisive identitarian thinking’, including the CofE.
He told the Telegraph: ‘By abandoning traditional Christian values in favor of the unholy trinity of diversity, equality and inclusivity, the country’s established Church risks alienating conservative ethnic minorities who have little time for the politics of resentment and victimhood.’
The motion, introduced by Bishop Hudson-Wilkin, also called for better data collection to monitor diversity levels in parishes.
In an impassioned speech introducing her motion, the bishop called for strengthening racial justice in the church’s governance structures
In an impassioned speech to introduce her idea, the religious leader of the port city of Kent called for strengthening racial justice in church governance structures “to hold the feet of our church to the fire.”
She said she had “no doubt that the church must continue to work to embed racial justice in all its life and structures; Lip service is not enough, nor is ticking boxes.
She told the synod: “When it comes to the topic of racial justice, I have heard the word ‘woke’ used by many people, including government ministers, certain radio presenters and people in the media. And in every case they used it wrong.
‘The term woke originated in the US and was a black terminology that spoke specifically and directly to black people about the need to wake up and stay alert, to be consciously aware.
‘So it’s not just a word, it’s a movement. Those who are threatened by the authenticity of this movement want to scare us into thinking that waking up is a sin created by people on the left.”
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, said the church had learned something from historical abuses, but added: “I continue to complain because what we have done has not been good enough and that is a scandal and an insult to God. ‘
He told the gathering, “Today we discuss racial justice. Tomorrow we will reflect on how we move forward in the future in response to the Church’s involvement in slavery.
“And all of this requires that we be honest about the terrible shortcomings of the past, not shy away from the shortcomings and challenges of the present, and build a better future.”
Mr Matovu warned that institutional racism is “embedded” in the church. He said, “In this room, the vast majority of you are sitting next to and surrounded by other white people.
‘Everywhere in the Church the general picture is the same: in your pews, at your PCCs (parochial church councils), deanery synods, diocesan synods, at every level up to and including the Episcopal House.
Delegates vote during the opening session of the Church of England’s General Synod
“Those who are threatened by the authenticity of this movement want to scare us into thinking that wokeness is a sin created by people on the left,” the Bishop of Dover said.
“Institutional racism is deeply entrenched in virtually every institution in this country, and unfortunately in the life and culture of the church.”
It comes as Yvonne Clarke, the first black female deacon in the Church of England, is due to have a hearing in her appeal against what she previously claimed was a racist decision to disband her parish.
The hearing before the Privy Council on Tuesday and Wednesday will consider whether there has been a failure to consult appropriately, as required by the Equality Act 2010, and whether there has been indirect discrimination in the diocese decision that was ratified by the church commissioners. , law firm Leigh Day said.
It follows cost-cutting proposals from the Diocese of Southwark, approved in September 2021, which would dissolve its parish and divide it between the parishes of St George, Shirley and St John, Shirley.
Ms Clarke said: “I overcame the most disturbing racism when I first arrived in this area, from those who would not tolerate a black female priest.
“My ministry and the work of my parish council has been to spread the word of God throughout the parish, and it has been very hard to be prevented from doing these acts of inclusivity.”
Her lawyer Frances Swaine said: ‘My clients will demonstrate to the court how decisions about their parish were made without adequate consultation and with insufficient consideration of the unique qualities that a black female priest and a global majority parish council bring to an area of London . with an ever-growing global majority population, mainly serving the migrant and refugee community.
‘At a time when the Archbishop of Canterbury is spending a lot of time talking about racism in the Church of England, my clients deserve to have the particular features of their parish taken into very careful consideration before any decision is made to get rid of it come.’
A Church of England spokesperson said: ‘It would not be appropriate for us to comment while the matter is subject to ongoing legal proceedings.’