WCC NEWS: Young people share vision of path toward racially just world

Young people who participated in the international conference “Berlin 1884–1885 and Anti-Black Racism: In Search of a Shared Anti-Racist Ecumenical Vision” shared their vision of how to decolonize churches and communities, and move toward a world with racial justice.  Photo: Halim Rahman/Brian Tinashe Katsidzira/WCC 05 June 2025 Thore Sell, Lutheran Church of Northern Germany, Youth Network of the Centre for Global Ministry and Ecumenical Relations, said it was most important that we listen to each other through different cultures and different regions.  “It’s everyone’s responsibility to decolonize, from Europe to Africa,” he said. “We all have to take our part.” He also urged us to acknowledge that postcolonial structures still exist—and that people in the global north profit from it.  “It’s also our responsibility to decolonize,” he said. “As young people, we urge our church leadership to strengthen connections with young people from the global south.” We also need to share power, he added. “As young people, we expect our church to take a leading role in decolonizing,” he concluded.  Laquitissa Talvina Tesco, youth projects co-manager for the Zion Union Apostolic Christian Church in Mozambique, reflected that youth have a key role in bringing back their roots and bringing back their identity. “Youth cannot forget our identity,” she said. “It is very important that we know where we come from even before colonialism.” She named relearning languages and cultures as ways to decolonize.  “We just need to bring back all those cultural aspects that our forefathers, our ancestors used before colonialism, during colonialism, and even after colonialism,” she said. “This way, we will be, at some point, decolonizing our minds by saying that our culture, our roots, are just as important as they are for the colonizers, where they are.” She urged people not be complacent with any form of injustice. “It is our role as Christians but also as youth worldwide to stand in solidarity with humanity,” she said. “Let us be conscious.” Youth voices from the international conference, “Berlin 1884–1885 and Anti-Black Racism: In Search of a Shared Anti-Racist Ecumenical Vision" See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa.  Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland