Rev. Alfred Banya is a Permanent Deacon for the Archdiocese of Southwark, and for over three decades has been an advocate for racial justice.
Rev. Alfred Banya is a Permanent Deacon for the Archdiocese of Southwark, and for over three decades has been an advocate for racial justice.
As I reflect on Racial Justice Sunday, and this year’s theme Pilgrims of Hope: Our Journey Together Towards Racial Justice, I am reminded of my journey to the UK as a young person and my own experience of racism on arrival. Moving to a new country can itself be traumatic but to be faced with racial discrimination was devastating.
Before I left my country of birth, I thought I was competent in English. I was overjoyed that I was at last travelling to a country where I could share in the culture of a people whose language I had learnt through books. But I was shocked when I ended up in a college deep in the English countryside, where my accent became a big source of amusement. Pop music culture was alien to me. When I was shown a poster of David Bowie and I said I didn’t know who he was, this was major cause of laughter, ridicule and humiliation. Taking a walk into town, as other students would do, was a risk for me. I vividly recall an occasion when a group of lads in car pulled up alongside me, shouting racist insults whilst pelting me with beer cans. At the college, in a stereotypical manner, the teachers were more concerned with whether I could run the 100 metres than in my ambition to pass examinations and attend university.
These were traumatic experiences for me. At the time, although my faith was important to me, I did not immediately turn to it as a means of coping with this racism. Instead, on entering university, as a young man I was drawn to ‘black identity politics’ in the attempt to kick back at racism. Whilst identity politics can help in making the voices of victims of racism heard, I gradually came to realise that, on its own, it can be divisive.
After university, I gradually drew closer to my Catholic faith and scripture. I increasingly embraced the true sense of what racial justice truly signified within the Biblical context. Love of neighbour or of others expressed for example in Mark 12:31, Leviticus 19:9, and Matthew 7:12, as well as the message in Genesis 1:2 that all humans are made in God’s image, spoke to me of an inclusive approach to understanding and addressing racial injustice. My subsequent experience of actively participating in racial justice matters, both locally and nationally, has been informed by this.
My racial justice activities have been enhanced by my call to the ministry of the Permanent Diaconate. The Basic Norms for the Formation of Permanent Deacons explain that a deacon is ordained by the Bishop and in communion with the priest is called to serve the People of God. Indeed, I often ask myself, how much more in need can victims of racial injustice be? I am therefore privileged that, in responding to this need, among my other responsibilities as a deacon, I am presently on the Commission for Promoting Racial and Cultural Inclusion in the Archdiocese of Southwark.
The Commission was instituted by Archbishop John Wilson as a response to the needs of many of our communities who continue to encounter challenges of racial and cultural exclusion. The Commission has key objectives that are underpinned by activities to advance racial equality and inclusion across the Archdiocese. These are vital expressions of a commitment to the Gospel values of love, justice, and respect for all. By working together with parishes, Catholic agencies, schools, organisations, associations and community groups, the Commission aims to amplify the efforts of these groups and to share resources to tackle racial injustice. This fulfils our mission to be a welcoming and inclusive Church, where the love of Christ is manifest in our actions.
Our prayer is that in the coming years, there will be signs that we have fostered an authentic deeper cultural and racial understanding among our clergy, parishioners, staff, volunteers, teachers, students, and parents, inspired by our faith and commitment to the dignity of every person. The use of inclusive images in our churches and prayer spaces are some of the initiatives we are promoting to support this. Moreover, through gatherings and sharing of experiences, we hope that those affected by racial injustice and inequality will feel that they have been provided with the opportunity to be listened to compassionately and that healing of the wounds and divisions caused by racism has been facilitated.
Another important change that we hope to see is that leadership within the Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic community has been nurtured through affirming and mentoring individuals who are called to serve in our schools and Church so that the diversity of our communities is visible in leadership positions. We pray that the pioneering toolkit for racial and cultural inclusion developed by the Commission will aid our communities in working to achieve this.
The main challenge to racial justice is for everyone, irrespective of their background, to recognise that addressing it is not a task to be left to one racial, ethnic or national group. We are all in it together, as the logo for this Jubilee Year depicts. The logo appropriately shows four figures, representing all of humanity, coming from the four corners of the earth, embracing each other to show the solidarity and fraternity which should unite all peoples. The figure at the front is holding onto the cross, which is what unites us in faith. Importantly the faith we are united in gives us hope, that together we can achieve racial justice. In other words, ‘Together, we are Pilgrims of Hope’, united to achieve this.
A reflection on the welcome extended to Ukrainians fleeing to the UK after the full-scale invasion.
