“I think it is one of the shameful tragedies of our nation that 11 o’clock on a Sunday morning is one of the most segregated hours in Christian America…any church that stands against integration, and which has a segregated body, is standing against the spirit and teachings of Jesus Christ.” Martin Luther King, 1960 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q881g1L_d8… Continue reading The responsibility of the least segregated place in my community
Tag: Black Lives Matter
Why I’m no longer talking to Black people about race (the way I used to)* – by Adrian Lock
(*with apologies to Reni Eddo-Lodge, author of Why I’m no longer talking to White people about race) An open letter to other White people in the UK... Dear fellow faded Africans, On the 25 May 2020, the death of George Floyd rocked our White world. In the following weeks, global protests even reached the bastion… Continue reading Why I’m no longer talking to Black people about race (the way I used to)* – by Adrian Lock
Something YOU can do on Windrush Day – by Adrian Lock
On Windrush Day, today, we celebrate the contribution of so many from the Caribbean that responded to the UK government’s request for help to rebuild post-war Britain.They came, suffered ongoing racial abuse, but struggled through, becoming part of the nation’s backbone, fulfilling so many of our keyworker roles, which many of their children and grandchildren… Continue reading Something YOU can do on Windrush Day – by Adrian Lock
How I learnt about structural advantage
In my summer holidays between the ages of 19 to 23, I volunteered on a holiday club for kids run with local churches in Islington in London. Growing up in more suburban areas, going into the ‘inner city’ was like venturing into another world. I helped run a group for 11-14 year olds who lived… Continue reading How I learnt about structural advantage
Confessions of a racist – by Adrian Lock
No-one I know wants to be called a racist. Do you? All my White friends would be horrified by the accusation. We would all sign up to a ‘progressive’ set of values that would say diversity is ‘a good thing’ and racial discrimination is a ‘bad thing’. We are all horrified by the killing of… Continue reading Confessions of a racist – by Adrian Lock
The Silence of the Leaders – by Adrian Lock
“Unless you’re part of the solution, Adrian, you’re part of the problem” said my Black female colleague. It was a statement that felt unfair and shook my sense of identity to the core. The year was 1999 and the government body I was working for was still digesting the MacPherson Inquiry Report into the death… Continue reading The Silence of the Leaders – by Adrian Lock