Meet Jennie Johnson Director of the West Midlands Racial Justice Initiative

As the new Director of the West Midlands Racial Justice Initiative (WMRJI), Jennie Johnson is committed to creating church spaces which are places of welcoming and belonging to everyone, regardless of their background. She has a real desire for seeing God’s justice in the world and believes we all have a role to play in that.

WMRJI is a collaboration between six dioceses across the West Midlands – Birmingham, Coventry, Gloucester, Hereford, Lichfield, and Worcester. It is committed to advancing racial justice and equality across the region, serving as a catalyst for transformative change, fostering inclusive and equitable environments that embrace people of all backgrounds. 

Jennie was appointed as the new Director at the start of the year, joining from the Diocese of Liverpool where she was Racial Justice Officer.

She said:

“It has been great to see the real commitment to this work across all six dioceses. Although progress can sometimes feel slow, we are creating something which is sustainable over time and the WMRJI is there to support and encourage the great work that is already happening in our schools and parishes.”

Jennie’s background

Jennie trained as a solicitor after university, working in the legal sector for around 12 years. She said:

“I’ve always wanted the world to be better than it is and was keen support people in difficult times. However, after a few years I had a ‘God moment’ and moved to become Operations Manager for the Christian charity Kairos Connexion which is all about supporting cultural change in churches. The role taught me that some of the racial justice issues we experience can be resolved through discipleship and remembering that God calls us to love others even if we have different backgrounds and beliefs.”

Jennie moved to the Diocese of Liverpool from Kairos Connexion, working there for three years before joining the WMRJI.

“I genuinely think that church could be the people who create transformation in the world. I don’t think it’s by accident that God made us all different and when we gather together with all our differences, that’s when we see the true reflection of God. We need to celebrate the diversity of our cultures!” Jennie said.

Work of the West Midlands Racial Justice Initiative

Although the work of the WMRJI is challenging, there are a number of key projects which are being supported across all dioceses. These include integrating racial justice into the curate training programmes and support to increase the diversity of senior appointments. There is also work happening with church schools across the region, connecting with external racial justice charities to teach primary children about racism and encouraging them to be active in calling it out when they see it.

“Where we work together, we are so much stronger,” said Jennie. The work in education is particularly exciting as it’s an opportunity to see change in the next generation and create spaces where everyone is treated with kindness and respect.”

WMRJI has also supported parish projects such as churches hosting cultural awareness days and embracing different ways to share faith from other cultural perspectives as well as practical support such as translation services. “There are lots of really good things happening and it’s great to see safe spaces being created where we can listen to each other well.”

Importance of welcome

Jennie believes that it is key for churches to ensure they are as welcoming as possible, particularly to those who might not be like us. “We don’t know everyone’s background. Often churches will have more diversity in the room than they might realise and there will certainly be many different types of people in the local community. We need to work hard to help people feel welcomed, belong and have the opportunity to contribute in our churches. Racial justice is often the work of discipleship. We are called to love our neighbour as ourselves – that’s not just about the random stranger who walks past, but about the neighbours in all areas of our lives.”

“Many UKME people will tell of uncomfortable experiences in churches, but it’s not just down to the people who have experienced racism tocreate change. We really need each other, and no one is excluded.  We should be caring about making the world a better place for all God’s children, whether they live near us or not.  If we are all committed to offering spaces of welcome, belonging and participation then all of our spaces will become more racially just. We might feel like we can’t change anything, but all of our small acts of justice will add up and turn into an avalanche!”

Find out more

To find out more about the work of the West Midlands Racial Justice Initiative, why not sign up for their newsletter at https://wmracialjustice.org.uk/.

There are also microgrants available to support ideas and projects in parishes. Find out more