RACIAL JUSTICE SUNDAY SHINES A LIGHT ON EQUITY FOR CARIBBEAN AND AFRICAN SONGWRITERS THROUGH ‘SONGSHARE’ INITIATIVE
PRESS RELEASE - 31 January 2025
On February 9, 2025, Racial Justice Sunday (RJS), themed “Coat of Many Colours,” will launch a groundbreaking initiative to spotlight and uplift the music of Caribbean and African songwriters in Britain and Irish churches. An innovative digital platform, called SongShare, aims to address long-standing inequities and factors that have a detrimental affect on Black music creators within churches and seeks to offer them greater visibility and opportunities.
The vision of SongShare is to build an accessible database dedicated to showcasing and sharing audio, visual, and downloadable resources of Caribbean and African works, increasing their use in every level of church life. Encouraged during discussions with Churches Together in England (CTE’s) Racial Justice Working Group, the initiative tackles the marginalisation of Black songwriters who, despite their significant contributions, have benefited relatively little from established music systems.
As a launch highlight on behalf of RJS organiser, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI), SongShare presents the Racial Justice Sunday Special Edition Spotify Playlist , which goes LIVE on the 9th. This playlist invites the wider church family to embrace the rich cultural diversity within Britain and Ireland’s congregations. Drawing on the biblical story of Joseph’s “coat of many colours,” the initiative celebrates the beauty and importance of diversity in worship.The playlist includes the works of not only well known worship leaders and songwriters like Noel Robinson, Muyiwa, Sarah Teibo and Jake Isaac, but also authors of lesser known renditions.
Juliet Fletcher, British Gospel Music pioneer and SongShare Founder, explains: “Colour and variety are gifts from God. Yet, the vibrant, powerful songs born in Black Church traditions rarely extend beyond their communities. Even within these denominations, invisible barriers hinder their outward reach. Meanwhile, Gospel music thrives in cultural spaces. SongShare is the proactive solution we need to address this inequity and elevate these voices across the church family and through the dynamic music infrastructures”.
The SongShare platform empowers Black Christian songwriters by providing a centralised space to register and share their work.
Worship leaders and other users can access songs via lyrics, chord sheets, multitracks, and instructional videos. The system’s search functionality—by author, theme, or keyword—removes reasons for not discovering or using these resources. Additionally, SongShare will partner with churches to incorporate these songs into worship events and other programmes.
This year’s Racial Justice Sunday Special Edition Playlist on Spotify serves as both an introduction to SongShare and a call to action. By embracing these songs, churches across Britain and Ireland can reflect the vibrant diversity of their congregations while fostering greater unity through worship.
Quotes from CTBI & CTE:
“Racial Justice Sunday is an apt moment to launch this programme: Undoubtedly, it gives those in British and Irish churches greater access to this music and Gospel artistes potentially the recognition and recompense worthy of their work and talents”. Richard Reddie - Director of Justice and Inclusion, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland
“I’m really excited about SongShare! Let’s all engage in building this resource showcasing some great voices from diverse communities”. Bishop Mike Royal - General Secretary, Churches Together in England
"The SongShare system is well overdue: addressing injustice while opening doors to equity and opportunity for Black music creators - securing a rich legacy as part of the wider Christian family." Revd Dr Lurliene Miller - Joint Chair, CTE-Racial Justice Working Group
“Music transcends boundaries, giving voice to shared experiences and the opportunity to drive transformative action for racial justice”.Minister Shermara Fletcher-Hoyte - CTE Principal Officer for Pentecostal , Charismatic and Multicultural Relations
For more information, visit the SongShare website or listen to the Spotify playlist - LIVE from 9.2.25.
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EDITORS NOTES
SongShare introductory website is LIVE and will be expanded, built in stages.. The website address: https://songshare.co.uk. Email: songshare.co.uk@gmail.com for further information or interviews with Founder/Director Juliet Fletcher.
Racial Justice Sunday marks the 30th anniversary of this annual event organised by Churches Together In Britain & Ireland [CTBI] in partnership with Churches Together in England [CTE].
Racial Justice Special Edition Playlist on Spotify https://bit.ly/4htCWVC will go LIVE on 09.02.25, all featuring original compositions by Black British songwriters. The Also available on SongShare, CTBI and CTE websites www.ctbi.org.uk | https://cte.org.uk/
Email: songshare.co.uk | Website: www.songshare.co.uk | Social Media: @songshare.co.uk