Profile: Yogi Sutton - a life dedicated to racial justice

Yogi Sutton

When Yogi Sutton joined others in founding the Catholic Association for Racial Justice (CARJ) 40 years ago, she knew first-hand the necessity for its work. Born into a Hindu family in the eastern Cape of South Africa, she grew up under the demeaning restrictions of apartheid which pervaded everyday life.

Yogi was educated by Dominican sisters in King Williams Town,(now Quonce) who taught all their students the innate dignity and equality of each person, regardless of race. They also encouraged her to develop all her talents and abilities, so that she could give back to the community and find a way around the cramping limitations of apartheid. In time their faith became her faith, and she was received into the Catholic Church at the age of 22 years.

It was a shock therefore when she and her husband Pat encountered racism in London after moving here. Not only were they insulted as a mixed-race family on public transport, but once at Mass they were asked to 'move to the back'. Yogi's answer was to approach the then Archbishop of Southwark, Michael Bowen. With his support every parish was urged to find ways to work for harmony and respect between all races. Yogi was asked to join the diocesan Justice and Peace Commission.

Yogi and others had wider horizons, and in 1984 they set up the Catholic Association for Racial Justice. Since its establishment, CARJ has worked on a wide range of issues, including good relations between persons of different racial groups, policing, religious hatred, black history, health inequalities and the promotion of equal opportunity. As part of this it seeks to support and empower black and minority ethnic Catholics, and to give them a voice in the Church and in society at large.

I asked Yogi the difference between CARJS's task now and when it opened 40 years ago. She said, 'Forty years ago the challenge was to alert the Church to racism in our midst and to learn to challenge that. We were educating people at our seminaries, schools, colleges, parishes. Today we see ourselves bringing a Catholic voice into the wider community, working with others to challenge racism and discrimination.'

As part of this CARJ has recently started working with groups speaking up for the Traveller Community. There is a Traveller Interest Working Group facilitated by Richard Zipfel, which meets every six weeks or so. The group is made up of chaplains, charities working with Travellers and other interested groups to see how to support Travelling Communities from a faith perspective. CARJ also liaises with the Christian Network Against Caste Discrimination, which tackles prejudice in south Asian communities against those regarded as low-caste.

Yogi is especially proud of the Ambassadors scheme sponsored by CARJ. Groups of young people (Ambassadors) are taken to meet leaders in different professions and decision-makers like MPs, who encourage them to believe in their own potential. As Yogi puts it, 'They learn what it is to be a good citizen, informed by their Catholic teaching, to live as Christ taught us. As part of this the aim is to instil confidence in them.'

CARJ's tasks may have enlarged over the years, but some challenges remain the same. Yogi says, "There is still much to be done in the Church. For example, in some multi-ethnic churches you will see no statues or holy pictures of people of colour. We remember with great respect St Josephine Bakhita, so why aren't people like her commemorated?"

At the CARJ annual conference earlier this year, the Revd Deacon Dr Alfred Banya speaking on vocations said vocations were unlikely to develop if people in the pews did not see themselves reflected on the sanctuary. Yogi told The Tablet in 2020, "We have many people from black and ethnic minority communities in our Catholic parishes yet we have no black or ethnic minority bishops in the Latin Rite Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, and most of our black priests are from abroad."

Stepping down from the chair of CARJ this year, Yogi can look back on a lifetime of service. She was chair of CARJ, 1987-1991, then took up the role again from 2012 to 2024. Her energy and commitment did not stop there: she was also President South, Deputy President then President of the National Board of Catholic Women. Locally she and Pat are active in their south London parish, Corpus Christi, Brixton. She was parish administrator there for 24 years and is still a Catechist and acts as registrar at weddings.

She is also a Trustee of New Hall School near Chelmsford in Essex, where she says "My life has been lifted and encouraged by my involvement in this school. Racial justice permeates the entire curriculum, and black people are represented at every level: chaplains, teachers, governing body and of course the students themselves. For me it is sheer joy."

LINK

CARJ: www.carj.org.uk/