Anglican Clergy To Join Black Lives Matter March

June 3, 2020

The Anglican Church of Bermuda has issued a ‘statement of solidarity with the movement towards racial justice’ and said that Anglican clergy “that are physically able to do so will be joining in the march on Sunday afternoon under the banner of ‘Black Lives Matter.”

A spokesperson said, “At a time when we as a country honour the life and mourn the death of a fighter for racial equality, Dr. Eva Hodgson, we also recognise that her work remains unfinished.

“We stand in solidarity with all those who condemn the innocent murder and mistreatment of so many people of colour which we recognise is just the tip of a history of exclusion and injustice wrought over centuries.

Poster for the march on Sunday

final Black-Lives-Matter-Protest-Bermuda-June-2020

“The Anglican Church of Bermuda wishes to publicly state and affirm the words spoken by our leader, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who, with Archbishop of York John Sentamu, writes:

“Recent events in the United States of America have once again drawn public attention to the ongoing evil of white supremacy. Systemic racism continues to cause incalculable harm across the world. Our hearts weep for the suffering caused – for those who have lost their lives, those who have experienced persecution, those who live in fear.

“God’s justice and love for all creation demands that this evil is properly confronted and tackled. Let us be clear: racism is an affront to God. It is born out of ignorance and must be eradicated. We all bear the responsibility and must play our part to eliminate this scourge on humanity.

“As Dr Martin Luther King Jr said, ‘In a real sense, we are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Therefore, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’

“We pray that God’s abounding wisdom, compassion and love will guide leaders across the world to forge a better society.”

“In response, we recognise that the work is unfinished in our own community. As a church we recognise that our history has included times of oppression and collusion with power structures that were racist. We also acknowledge we have not done all that we can to correct oppression.

“As a gesture of our desire to work to eradicate this evil within Bermuda, those Anglican clergy that are physically able to do so will be joining in the march on Sunday afternoon under the banner of ‘Black Lives Matter’ and inviting all our members to participate in solidarity in this step towards awareness and fairness.

“We do this in recognition that all are made in the image of God; that Jesus Christ died to breakdown all barriers that exit between us, and that when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Church bringing Pentecost, the same spirit manifested in all people – speaking to each in their native tongue and uniting them in one family.

“We want to do our best to seek unity, to work for reconciliation, to fight for justice as one body, united in Christ. As a multi-racial church we aim to be a place where all are shown the love of God and welcomed as part of his family and we also seek to take concrete steps to ensure a more just society – where all people have a right to be heard and to have their personhood valued equally.

“As part of that we also undertake to listen, love and lament with those who suffer and to repent of our silence which can appear to reflect lack of compassion, courage and conviction to take a stand. This is not the end of the conversation we need to be having in our homes, in our churches and across our island. We want to hear your voices, we are listening.

“All of this is written with hope for a better, more just, equal and united community, praying for God’s strength, healing and blessing.

- Signed: Bishop Nicholas Dill, Archdeacon Andrew Doughty, Canon Norman Lynas, Canon John Stow, Canon Ant Pettit, Archdeacon Emeritus Dr Arnold Hollis, Revd Tom Slawson, Revd Jon Connell, Revd Jamaine Tucker, Revd Gavin Tyte, Bishop Ewen Ratteray, Revd Don Moore, Revd Carl Williams, Revd Paul Dean.

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Comments (9)

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  1. This is Great to see and I hope all Churches and all Faith’s across Bermuda will join with the Anglican Church and let their voices be heard.

    When it’s all over, Please let us see a difference in the Racial divide, when it comes to Economic Disparity in Bermuda, and Don’t Join in with the rest of the World in Black Lives Matter, if you are not fighting for real for Black Lives in Bermuda.

    Sick and tired of joining a campaign that speaks to the ill’s in other societies but our own in Bermuda and that’s where Bermudians are very hypocritical in their stance, and I am waiting for the day that the majority will prove that statement wrong.

    We celebrate Dr. Eva Hodgson and her legacy, but who were the true Bermudians who stood along side of her, her greatest support came not from the Black Community but from the White Community, and she has said this on numerous occasions on the People’s Talk show with E.D.C., SO PLEASE DON’T USE HER NAME BECAUSE IT’S CONVENIENT FOR THE MOMENT, when most time’s Dr. Eva Hodgson had to stand alone.

    We are in 2020 Bermuda, Let’s be the Change that we want to see, don’t protest and stand because it’s the popular thing to do, but let your voice continually be heard, long after the People have gone back to their individual daily lives. All the best to all who stand for the right reasons.

    “WHITE SUPREMACY MUST GO” and I’m Glad to see The Anglican Churches coming out in full force, because it’s many of their former members and some of the Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren of their former members, that are responsible for the Economic Divide in Bermuda in the first place, and to finally see them acknowledge this in the Words of Dr. Eva Hodgson, would mean we have reached a mile stone.

    • Onion Juice says:

      Did the Anglican Church apologize for kicking Dr. Babara Ball out off de church for fighting against RACISM in Bermuda?

      • You shall know the truth which sets us free says:

        It doesn’t change the wrongness of that action, nor to suggest that the Anglican Church was any better, but Dr. Ball was a member of the Roman Catholic Church, St. Michaels.

    • Onion Juice says:

      Very interesting

    • Onion Juice says:

      Apology for Dr. Babara Ball

  2. saud says:

    More lies from OJ…you’d almost think it was trump.