Legacies of Slavery

 

LEGACIES OF SLAVERY

 

Much has been said and written in recent months about British involvement in the eighteenth century transatlantic slave trade. The purpose of this note is not to go over the history but rather to outline the actions being taken by the United Reformed Church to address this issue.

In 2017 the Council for World Mission (CWM), of which the URC is a member, launched a series of Hearings to identify the Legacies of Transatlantic Slavery. Their subsequent report highlighted racism and deprivation as key elements of the legacies and also referred to continuing concerns with white privilege.  In response to this report, the URC’s Mission Council have agreed to recommend to the 2020 General Assembly the adoption of a threefold approach to addressing these legacies encompassing a Church-wide apology, some form of reparation and the elimination of white privilege within the URC.

However, it is also recognised that these issues require consideration at all levels of the denomination. They will therefore be fully discussed at our Synod meeting in March 2020 but now the URC is starting on work intended to improve awareness of the legacies of slavery and to stimulate discussion within congregations. To this end, the URC is producing a range of material that’s accessible on the URC website. At this stage, these resources are provided for Black History Month 2020 but others will be added periodically. They will include a reading list, a selection of You Tube videos and seminal movies, information papers and Bible studies.

For more information and a variety of resource materials, please go to the Legacies of Slavery section on the URC website - Legacies of Slavery resources

Keir Hounsome

Synod Clerk