Black Voices In Conversation: Reverend Eve Pitts, Britain's first female Caribbean vicar
Black voices In Conversation is a new series of interviews by ITV News to mark Black History Month 2020.
Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland we've spoken to groundbreaking individuals from the black community to learn about their life experiences and to hear their vision for the future.
ITV Central's Pablo Taylor sat down with Reverend Eve Pitts of the Holy Trinity Church in Birmingham to talk about her life and journey to becoming Britain's first female Caribbean vicar.
Reverend Eve moved to the UK from Jamaica in the 1960s to live with her mother in Nottingham. At the time the city wasn't as diverse as it is today, so the Black community stuck together - 'safety in numbers,' as she says.
Racism has followed the Reverend throughout her life, as she tells Pablo, whether it be people shouting expletives from cars, police storming her youth club with a dog, or through a lack of career opportunities.
Faith had always been a part of the Reverend's life, as her grandfather was a minister. Her journey to the priesthood was not an easy one, but she had a deep sense that God had His hands on her life.
In 1989, she became a vicar and ever since has been a trailblazer in promoting equal rights for women and tackling racial injustice.
Read more about Reverend Eve's story here.
Watch more interviews from our Black Voices in Conversation series here - or listen below: