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Good morning, Yesterday, I was one of a group of people invited to a reception with the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall at Clarence House, to celebrate the contribution of West Africans to British society. It was a colourful affair – many of us of West African descent who spanned the industries of media, entertainment, sport, politics, fashion and the charity sector – took it as an opportunity to don our traditional attire. The vibrant fabrics of our nations of origin providing a stunning juxtaposition against the backdrop of the State Apartments at St James’s Palace. The event was put on ahead of their Royal Highnesses’ visit next week to Nigeria, Ghana and Gambia to highlight the importance of the UK’s ties to the Commonwealth. To me such events are vivid symbols of the UK’s rich ethnic diversity. We have come a long way. The Race Relations Act, which gained royal assent on this day 50 years ago, is what made it illegal to refuse housing, employment, or public services to a person on the grounds of colour, race, ethnic origin or nationality. No longer was it acceptable to see signs on doors of establishments reading: “No blacks, no dogs, no Irish.” Times have changed since I first arrived in the UK as a four-year-old in the late 1980s when it was rare to see people who looked like me on television screens, on catwalks or in parliament, let alone being hosted by the future king of England. Despite great advancements in racial equality, the fact remains however that at the other end of the scale exist huge and deep-seated injustices. Black and ethnic minority Britons are over-represented in prisons and under-represented in senior leadership positions in the public and private sectors; they are twice as likely to be unemployed and earn less when they are. Alongside these entrenched inequalities lies the seemingly pervasive “fear of the other” which seems to blight the human condition. Far too often, the temptation is to stick with what we know – to prefer those who think and feel the same as us. Whose background and experiences align with our own. The familiar is much more comfortable than the unknown. The gospel accounts are rich with examples of Christ choosing to welcome those who the disciples and religious leaders might have perceived as ‘other’. In so doing, he painted a picture of an open-armed God, a God of radical hospitality. Yes, we have come a long way in terms of race relations in the UK; but there is still a long way to go. The challenge therefore is for each of us who believes in the inherent dignity of every human to extend a hand of welcome; to build bridges and not walls.