Racial Justice
Bristol Cathedral is committed to promoting racial justice within our own life and in the wider community. We seek to address the legacy of transatlantic chattel enslavement, challenge contemporary racial inequality, and create opportunities for learning, reflection and reconciliation. This commitment shapes our work through education, community engagement, worship and the arts.
Racial Justice Strategy
On the 9th of October 2024, the Cathedral launched its first Racial Justice Strategy with the aim of taking the next step in addressing historic issues of racial injustice in the life of Bristol Cathedral and to fold the work of racial justice into our wider vision and strategy.
In adopting this strategy we aspire to:
- Undertake actions that express a commitment to reparational justice by working with partners to address inequality in our city, in particular in addressing the injustice experienced by young people of African and African Caribbean heritage.
- Address the legacy of transatlantic chattel enslavement as it is reflected in the fabric of Bristol Cathedral by telling the truth about the past.
- Express our repentance for the institutional sin which has led to the suffering and trauma of our sisters and brothers both past and present.
- Work for reconciliation and partnership so that all people, but specifically those impacted by the legacy of transatlantic chattel enslavement, experience welcome and can participate in and influence the life of Bristol Cathedral in all its dimensions.
A note on language:
The language in the Racial Justice Strategy has been carefully chosen on the advice of the Cathedral Racial Justice Advisory Group. We recognise that many of terms preferred here are contentious and that not everyone will favour the choices made. We also acknowledge that the use of language is constantly changing and aim to remain sensitive to that.
What have we done so far?
- Invited a range of people of global majority heritage to preach in the Cathedral
- Carried out research and consultation resulting in the exhibition All God’s Children
- Worked with the descendants of John Isaac, an enslaved African man, to install a monument to him and those who suffered alongside him.
- Offered learning opportunities to the congregation including a study day with Azariah France Williams, author of Ghost Ship, showing the film After the Flood, and signposting the Blacklight course.
- Established an annual conference, The Beloved Community, to explore and celebrate diversity within the church.
- Piloted a series of school workshops around All God’s Children and evaluated them in partnership with the University of the West of England.
- Appointed Professor Robert Beckford and Edson Burton to Chair our arts commissioning groups
Current Projects
Inclusive Biblical Illustrations
Expressions of Interest Now Open
Bristol Cathedral and the Diocese of Bristol are seeking artists to help create a new library of illustrations for use in collective worship, primarily with primary school pupils.
The project will begin with a pilot programme of nine biblical stories, each illustrated through a series of images designed for use in schools and churches. We are looking for artists who can combine strong visual storytelling with thoughtful, inclusive representation, helping children engage with biblical stories in ways that are authentic, accessible and inspiring.
We are particularly keen to hear from Bristol-based artists, as well as artists from Global Majority and minority ethnic backgrounds.
Click here to view the artist brief
Artists should submit an expression of interest using the form below.
Deadline for expressions of interest: 1 November 2026
Submit an Expression of Interest
Let There Be Light
Bristol Cathedral is pleased to be working with artist Joseph Ijoyemi on the development of a new stained-glass window for the North Transept.
Responding to the Cathedral’s history and the existing Colston memorial window, the proposed design reflects the experiences, heritage and faith of African and African-Caribbean communities in Bristol. Drawing inspiration from Maya Angelou’s poem Still I Rise, it explores themes of liberation, reconciliation and hope.
The design is currently being refined ahead of the approvals process and future installation.
Read More
Beloved Community Conference 2026
All God’s Children Exhibition
All God’s Children is Bristol Cathedral’s long-running exhibition exploring the Cathedral’s connections to the transatlantic trade in enslaved people.
On display within the Cathedral since 2022, the exhibition is the result of extensive research into the people buried and memorialised here during a period when Bristol’s links to slavery were at their strongest. Through stories, memorials and interpretation, it examines the Cathedral’s historic connections to enslavement and invites visitors to reflect on how we remember the past and respond to its legacy today.