Woodbrooke announces 2022 Swarthmore lecturer
Helen Minnis 'sees her lecture as building on the 2021 lecture by Thomas Penny that called for Kinder Ground when having difficult conversations and seeking truth'.
The academic Helen Minnis is the Swarthmore lecturer for 2022.
The Glasgow Meeting elder will speak from her experience as a scientist and a Quaker, addressing white privilege within both communities. The lecture has been selected to be part of the ongoing Quaker conversation about becoming an anti-racist church.
As professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Glasgow, Helen will speak from her longstanding experience of the psychiatric problems of abused and neglected children.
Martina Weitsch, clerk of the Swarthmore Lecture Committee, said: ‘This is not an easy topic, but a very important one in the life of Britain Yearly Meeting. When discerning the name and shaping the topic for the 2022 lecture we found a strong leading lead us towards Helen Minnis. Her ability to think and listen deeply and thoughtfully about difficult issues is a real gift, and her experience both as an individual and working alongside a broad range of Quakers in engaging faithfully with issues of white privilege makes her uniquely placed to give this vital lecture. We’re excited by Helen’s plans to see the lecture as a process, as part of the wider work by Quakers, including a lecture rather than a single presentation.’
Woodbrooke said that Helen hopes ‘to use the next year to collaborate with others and share stories, as she builds up her ministry… She sees her lecture as building on the 2021 lecture by Thomas Penny that called for Kinder Ground when having difficult conversations and seeking truth’.
Helen has contributed to Britain Yearly Meeting’s consideration of power, privilege, and anti-racism, including speaking at Yearly Meeting Gathering 2021, West Scotland Area Meeting and at the Northern Young Friends’ Summer Shindig in 2020. She has a longstanding involvement in Glasgow Children’s Meeting, particularly supporting theatrical/musical ministry of young people, reflecting her experience with the Leaveners.
Helen is also a member of the Quaker Black, Brown and People of Colour Fellowship.
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