Eve Pitts

Eve Pitts (née Sewell) is a British priest who was the first black woman to be ordained as a vicar in the Church of England. She is known for being outspoken against discrimination. She is a supporter of Emancipation Day.

Personal life and education Pitts was born in Jamaica and her parents, Kathleen and Stanley Sewell, moved to England in 1956. Her father worked in a chemical plant in Nottingham and died aged 35. Pitts initially attended a boarding school but came to England after her father died. She was a committed Christian from childhood, and taught in Sunday School when she was seven. She worked in the civil service for many years before responding to a call to ministry. She married Anthony Pitts, a civil servant, and they have a daughter and two sons.

Ministry Pitts was ordained as a deacon in 1989. In 1994, Pitts was one of the first black women ordained priest in the Church of England, and went on to be the first black woman to become a vicar.