Mina Smallman

Wilhelmina Tokcumboh "Mina" Smallman (born 29 October 1956) is a retired British Anglican priest and former school teacher. She served as the Archdeacon of Southend in the Diocese of Chelmsford from September 2013 until her retirement on 31 December 2016.[1] She was the Church of England's first female archdeacon from a black and minority ethnic background.[2]

The Venerable Mina Smallman, 2013

Early life and education

Smallman was born on 29 October 1956[3][4] in Middlesex. Her mother Catherine was of Scottish descent and her father Bill was of Nigerian heritage.

She was educated at the Central School of Speech and Drama and Middlesex University.

Career

Smallman worked as a drama teacher for 15 years.[5]

Ordained ministry

She was ordained deacon in 2006 and priest in 2008. After curacies in Harrow and Stanmore she was Team Vicar in Barking[6] from 2010 until her Archdeacon’s appointment.[7]

In June 2013, it was announced that Smallman would be the next Archdeacon of Southend.[8] On 16 September 2013, she was installed as archdeacon during at a service at Chelmsford Cathedral.[9]

Death of daughters

The bodies of Smallman’s two daughters, Nicole Smallman (27) and Bibaa Henry (46), were discovered, stabbed to death, in Fryent Country Park, Brent on 7 June 2020.[10] Their deaths have now been declared as murder,[11][12] and that the perpetrator was probably a stranger.[13]

Two Metropolitan Police officers were arrested over allegations that some of those guarding the murder scene photographed the bodies and shared the images. The Independent Office for Police Conduct will consider if racism led to the officers' alleged actions, and if the search for the sisters after they were reported missing was mishandled.[2] In an interview with the BBC Smallman criticised the culture within the Metroploitan Police that allowed such an event to happen.[14]

“If ever we needed an example of how toxic it has become, those police officers felt so safe, so untouchable, that they felt they could take photographs of dead black girls and send them on."

Arrest made

On 1 July 2020 an 18 year old man was arrested.[15]

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gollark: What? This proposal limit is ridiculous.
gollark: Obviously we should marry, then.

References
  1. Diocese of Chelmsford — Archdeacon of Southend to retire at the end of 2016 (Accessed 22 December 2016)
  2. Dodd, Vikram (27 June 2020). "Mother of murdered daughters attacks 'toxic' Met police culture". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  3. "Smallman, Wilhelmina T.". Who's Who. ukwhoswho.com. 2016 (November 2015 online ed.). A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. Retrieved 24 July 2016. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
  4. "Wilhelmina Tokcumboh Smallman". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  5. Southend Echo
  6. Barking & Dagenham Post
  7. Diocese of Chelmsford website
  8. Daily Telegraph, 8 June 2013, p.26, "Senior Clergy Appointments"
  9. "Church appoints first woman Archdeacon of Southend". Echo Newspapers. 16 May 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  10. MSN
  11. BBC Radio Four, 'PM' programme 16:04 GMT
  12. Raffray, Nathalie (16 June 2020), "Tributes paid to sisters murdered in Kingsbury", Brent & Kilburn Times.
  13. Grierson, Jamie (12 June 2020). "London sisters were stabbed to death by stranger, say police". The Guardian.
  14. The Guardian
  15. MSN


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