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Mina Smallman

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The Venerable
Mina Smallman
The Venerable Mina Smallman, 2013
Born (1956-10-29) 29 October 1956 (age 68)
Middlesex, England
Alma materRoyal Central School of Speech and Drama
Middlesex University

Wilhelmina Tokcumboh "Mina" Smallman (born 29 October 1956) is a British retired Anglican priest and former school teacher. She served as the Archdeacon of Southend in the Diocese of Chelmsford from September 2013 until her retirement in December 2016. Following the murder of two of her daughters in 2020, she became a campaigner for women's safety and police reform.[1]

Early life

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Smallman was born on 29 October 1956 in Middlesex.[2][3] Her mother Catherine was of Scottish descent and her father Bill was of Nigerian heritage.

Career

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During her whole career she says she suffered misogyny and racism, mainly due to "privileged white men" who she says "questioned" her right to be a priest.[4]

Teaching

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Smallman studied drama, English and Voice at the Central School of Speech and Drama, graduating with a Bachelor of Education (BEd) degree in 1988.[5] She then worked as a drama teacher for 15 years.[6] By 2005, she was an assistant principal of John Kelly Girls' Technology College.[5]

Ordained ministry

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Smallman trained for ordination on the North Thames Ministerial Training Course. During her training, she also studied contextual theology at Middlesex University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 2006.[5]

Smallman was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 2006 and as a priest in 2007.[5] She served her curacy at St Paul's Church, Harrow (2006–2007) and then at the Church of St John the Evangelist, Stanmore (2007–2010).[5] She was then team vicar in Barking[7] from 2010 until her Archdeacon's appointment.[8]

In June 2013, it was announced that Smallman would be the next Archdeacon of Southend.[9] On 16 September 2013, she was installed as archdeacon during at a service at Chelmsford Cathedral.[10] She was the Church of England's first female archdeacon from a black and minority ethnic background.[11] She retired on 31 December 2016.[12]

Murder of her daughters and subsequent campaigning

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Two of her daughters, Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry, were discovered, stabbed to death, in Fryent Country Park, Brent on 7 June 2020.[13]

A murder investigation was launched.[14][15] On 2 July 2020, Danyal Hussein was charged with murdering Nicole and Bibaa.[16] He was found guilty on 6 July 2021[17] and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 35 years.[18]

Smallman spoke publicly about the police handling of the murder investigation, especially after it was revealed that two police constables had shared photos of the murder scene,[19] stating that Cressida Dick, Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, tried to mislead her. She has also spoken about her beliefs that the search for her daughters was delayed due to racist elements in the police service.[20][21]

She is quoted as saying "most of our police force are amazing and doing amazing jobs but there is an element that has taken over the culture of how they banter...and there an element of misogyny in its worst possible form".[22] Smallman maintained that Dick gave the impression that problems with the investigation were unusual and isolated incidents when, in reality Dick knew about investigations of wrongdoing at Charing Cross Police Station and knew there were larger problems. Smallman said, "So she would have known that this wasn't an isolated incident. I didn't expect her to throw herself or the Met under the bus, but to behave in a way that sounds as though 'this is incredible', or 'we've never heard of anything like this in our lives' [the conduct of the officers in Fryent Country Park], it was a lie.".[19]

Dick resigned as Commissioner of Police on 10 February 2022.[19]

In 2021 she was chosen by BBC Radio 4's Today programme to be one of seven guest editors during the Christmas period.[23]

In 2024, Smallman stated that she has forgiven the man who murdered her daughters, but that she cannot forgive the police officers who shared pictures of their bodies and who had therefore "violated" them further.[24]

Personal life

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Since 1992, she has been married to Christopher. She had a daughter from a previous relationship, Bibaa Henry (born 1974), and the couple have two daughters together, including Nicole Smallman (born 1992).[5] Bibaa and Nicole were murdered in 2020.[25]

Smallman has ME/CFS and fibromyalgia.[26]

Honours

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Smallman was included in the BBC's 100 Women list for 2021, which honours the most inspiring and influential women from around the world.[27] In 2021, the BBC were concerned to highlight women who are hitting 'reset' - women who are reinventing our society, our culture, and our world. Smallman was recognised for her trailblazing as the first female Church of England archdeacon from a black or ethnic-minority background, and for her campaigning to make UK streets safer and to reform the police.[27]

Selected works

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  • Smallman, Mina (2024). A Better Tomorrow: Life Lessons in Hope and Strength. London: Ebury Press. ISBN 978-1529199710.

References

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  1. ^ Dodd, Vikram (27 June 2020). "Mother of murdered daughters attacks 'toxic' Met police culture". The Guardian.
  2. ^ "Wilhelmina Tokcumboh Smallman". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  3. ^ "Smallman, Wilhelmina T.". Who's Who. Vol. 2016 (November 2015 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 24 July 2016. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  4. ^ You have to let the anger go’: Mina Smallman on her daughters’ murder - and the police who shared photos of the bodies The Guardian
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Smallman, Ven. Wilhelmina T., (born 29 Oct. 1956), Archdeacon of Southend, 2013–16". Who's Who 2021. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  6. ^ "From foster child to funk musician... introducing Southend's first female archdeacon". Echo. 4 June 2013.
  7. ^ Adigun, Buni (17 April 2013). "Artist creates altar frontal for Thames View church". Barking and Dagenham Post.
  8. ^ "Chelmsford Diocese". hosted-p0.vresp.com.
  9. ^ Daily Telegraph, 8 June 2013, p.26, "Senior Clergy Appointments"
  10. ^ "Church appoints first woman Archdeacon of Southend". Echo Newspapers. 16 May 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  11. ^ "Emeritus the Venerable Mina Smallman". Murray Edwards College. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  12. ^ Diocese of Chelmsford - Archdeacon of Southend to retire at the end of 2016 (Accessed 22 December 2016)
  13. ^ "Church of England leaders 'devastated' after first female BAME Archdeacon's daughters found dead in London park". www.msn.com.
  14. ^ BBC Radio Four, 'PM' programme 16:04 GMT
  15. ^ Raffray, Nathalie (16 June 2020), "Tributes paid to sisters murdered in Kingsbury", Brent & Kilburn Times.
  16. ^ "Man charged with murdering sisters in Wembley park". BBC News. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  17. ^ Teenager found guilty of murdering two sisters after pact with Satan to win the lottery
  18. ^ Danyal Hussein jailed for 35 years for murdering sisters in London park The Guardian
  19. ^ a b c BBC website, Mina Smallman: Dame Cressida Dick gaslighted me, says killed sisters' mum, article dated February 15, 2022
  20. ^ Channel 4 News website, Met Police to apologise to mother of murdered sisters, article dated October 25, 2021
  21. ^ Guardian website, Mother of murdered sisters says Met’s apology for failings too late, article by Tom Ambrose dated October 26, 2021
  22. ^ Mina Smallman: 'We've been to hell and back again' BBC
  23. ^ adam-sherwin (25 November 2021). "Raheem Sterling leads Radio 4 Today programme line-up of Christmas guest editors". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  24. ^ "Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry's mother tells BBC Radio 4 she has forgiven killer". BBC News. 20 July 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  25. ^ "Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry: Tributes to sisters killed in park". BBC News. 11 June 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  26. ^ Smallman, Mina (27 July 2024). "Mina Smallman: "My Daughters' Murders Moved Me To Begin A New Mission"". British Vogue. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  27. ^ a b "BBC 100 Women 2021: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.


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