Earlier this year, Canon Dr Adanna (Addy) Lazz-Onyenobi, Lay Chair of Manchester South and Stretford, took part in a trip to the Union of Black Episcopalians (UBE) annual conference in Montgomery, Alabama led by the Revd Guy Hewitt, Director of Racial Justice.

Addy shared this reflection:

"We were pleased to be invited to the 55th annual conference of the UBE, featuring many eminent speakers on the topic of racial justice. The President of UBE, the Very Revd Kim Coleman, set the scene by reminding us of the “scourge of racism and the need to continue to fight boldly” and that we have a responsibility to advance the cause of racial justice.

"The keynote speaker was Dr Catherine Meeks, Founder and Executive Director of the Absalom Jones Episcopal Center for Racial Healing. Her speech was very powerful and emotional as she explained the work the UBE is doing to achieve justice for all people, especially to eradicate racism in the Church and society. Her strong commitment to fighting for racial justice stems from the legacy of her ancestors, who fought for freedom from slavery and lived with the hope that freedom might come soon. She challenged us by saying “The ancestors are looking back at us and they want to know what we are doing  about the legacy that they gave us?”

"Julia Ayala Harris, the president of the House of Deputies, spoke too. She is the first Latina and woman of colour to hold that this esteemed position. In her speech, she said that people often mistake her at conferences thinking that she works as a waitress doing hospitality. She spoke frankly of a lived experience of racism and explained that some people still do not expect a Latina and/ or woman of colour to hold a high position in any organisation.

"The Revd Guy Hewitt delivered the Archbishop of Canterbury’s greetings to all at the conference and said the delegates from  England were there “to learn from the long history and experience of the UBE in their relentless fight against racism. Indeed, the perseverance and determination of members of UBE in standing against the evil of racism is remarkable and inspiring”.

As part of the conference, the delegation visited churches, museums and places of historical interest.

Addy told us, "Revd Mark Nam another delegate from the Church of England was asked to participate in a “Litany of Libation” in honour of Ancestors, Saints and Elders who have toiled, fought and spent their lives seeking justice and equality for black people in  America. As the names were read out, including that of Martin Luther King Jr, a libation of water was poured for each and every person.

"We also visited Selma, Alabama and were privileged to stand in the same place where Martin Luther King Jrled civil rights marches. We journeyed on to the Tabernacle Baptist Church in  Selma and were told of the time when Black people were not allowed to enter the Church through the front door,  nly the white people were allowed and the Black people to come in through the back door and could sit only at the side nave of the church. It appears things are changing but there is still a very long way to go." 

A life-changing experience

"We also visited the Legacy Museum, a memorial complex that features artwork and exhibits including oral history, archival materials and interactive technology. The museum shows the path from slavery to racial oppression. To illustrate the point of ongoing oppression, the exhibits include photographs of African- Americans picking cotton. These photos could easily be mistaken as depicting the slavery period but these photos are of inmates in the 1960s!

"Through digital technology, one can hear, see and be in close proximity to slave replicas, which model what it was like for slaves to await sale at the auction block. We also learned that families were split and children and adults were auctioned separately.

"We all left the museum with heavy hearts and tears in our eyes. No one will be the same after visiting the Legacy Museum. Leaving there, we resolved to make greater strivings for human equality and racial justice."

Final thoughts

"We have so much to learn from UBE. The legacy of segregation is very much alive for them and they are fighting something they can see, that was experienced in the previous generation but it is much more hidden over here. However, their determination, perseverance and resilience is hugely empowering for us.

"During his speech at the conference, Revd Guy Hewitt, said that the Church of England had been “significantly impacted by the heinous murder of George Floyd” and like the Episcopal Church was “committed to counteracting the pandemic of racism”. We need to work very hard in the Church of England and in the country as a whole, in counteracting this “pandemic of racism” with the opportunities we have to do so.

"The conference was thought-provoking and provided me with a deeply moving experience and motivation to pursue the mission of racial justice with renewed vigour and determination."

Addy is pictured here wearing green alongside members of the trip to the conference.