Revd Alton Bell, Chair of the Movement for Justice and Reconciliation (MJR), welcomes the audience and shares the origins and evolving mission of the organisation. MJR began in 2011 by exploring the root causes of inner-city violence, and was formally constituted in 2015 with a core belief: that many of the social and health inequalities facing African Caribbean communities today are legacies of enslavement and industrial exploitation.
Through research, community engagement and education, MJR has worked to uncover and address these impacts. One ambitious early project was to commission a replica slave ship to tour Britain’s historic slave ports — a vision that ultimately transformed into the feature documentary After the Flood following a generous, unexpected donation and the disruption of COVID-19.
Alton shares how the film came into being as a means of continuing MJR’s mission of education and reconciliation. He encourages viewers to engage deeply with the film, take notes, ask questions, and reflect on the challenging themes it raises. He also introduces a companion workbook and related resources, designed to help churches and communities continue the conversation. The introduction concludes with an open invitation to participate in the panel discussion to follow — a space for honest questions, critical thinking and shared learning.
