First director of racial justice appointed by the Church of England

• Aparna Sreevalsan
• 25 August, 2022

THE Church of England has hired its first director for racial equality, Anglican priest Guy Hewitt, a former Barbados high commissioner to the UK.

He will take up the post in November and lead the church’s Racial Justice Unit.

The announcement was followed by an apology for the church’s involvement in the trafficking and enslavement of Africans.

The Anti-Racism Task Force of the Archbishops’ From Lament to Action report, which was published in April of last year, served as the basis for the creation of the unit.

In response to the appointment, Reverend Hewitt said: “I am humbled by the confidence of those who have chosen me to serve as the inaugural director and look forward to what I plan to be a participatory and inclusive process of restoration.

“The indelible link between our faith and public life is reinforced at Confirmation with our vow to defend the weak, and to seek peace and justice.”

Reverend Hewitt will collaborate with the Archbishop’s Commission for Racial Justice to ensure that the taskforce’s recommendations and the commission’s work are carried out from inside the Archbishop’s council and under the secretary general’s direction.

William Nye, secretary general of the Archbishops’ council, said: “I am delighted that we have been able to appoint the Reverend Hewitt to be the first racial justice director for the Church of England.

“This is a vital post, helping the Church address the challenges of racial justice, and helping the Church speak into this agenda nationally.”

Reverend Hewitt is a London native of Barbadian and Indian ancestry and has worked globally on issues of marginalisation, economic enfranchisement, racial justice, youth empowerment, and gender equality. He has a background in social policy and development.

He serves on the advisory board of the Windrush Scandal Research project, which is situated in London and is an honorary senior research fellow with the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London.

After receiving his training at the Diocese of Southwark, the reverend was ordained in Barbados in 2005.

Prior to accepting the position of associate vicar at All Saints Church in Fulham, southwest London, he most recently held the position of priest-in-charge at St. James in the Hill Church in Hollywood, Florida.