Liverpool Slavery Remembrance Day marks 25th anniversary

Liverpool is marking the 25th anniversary of its Slavery Remembrance Day this month with a series of events in the city centre.

The four days of free activities, workshops and talks run from August 20-23 and culminate with the annual Walk of Remembrance, which this year has been extended to offer more opportunities to reflect at key Liverpool landmarks.

Events begin on August 20 with a Health, Medicine and Transatlantic Slavery: Curatorial Workshop at Merseyside Maritime Museum which invites members of the public to help shape future displays at the International Slavery Museum.

The University of Liverpool is the venue for a CSIS Symposium titled Space and Place – Building on the Past on August 21.

Then on August 22, this year’s Dorothy Kuya Slavery Remembrance Memorial Lecture will be delivered at Liverpool Town Hall by guest speaker Fiona Compton.

Compton is a St Lucian artist, filmmaker and historian whose work explores the complexities of identity, heritage and social injustice.

She says: "As keynote speaker for Slavery Remembrance Day in Liverpool, I stand on the shoulders of ancestors whose voices were silenced. We reclaim those voices, weaving them into the tapestry of remembrance and resilience. Let us confront the shadows of history with courage, and illuminate a path forward guided by justice, empathy, and solidarity." 

This year’s event culminates with the Walk of Remembrance from noon to 2pm on August 23 which will include Williamson Square, Clayton Square, the Bluecoat and Liverpool ONE, and will be followed at 2.30pm by the traditional libation ceremony near the Canning and Dry Docks.

Michelle Charters, head of the International Slavery Museum, says: “Twenty-five years since the city's first Slavery Remembrance Day, it continues to be an important moment in our busy city to pause and remember the many lives impacted by this abhorrent trade, as well as the many legacies and achievements of people of the African diaspora. 

“We’re looking forward to a very special contribution from Fiona on this significant year, as we mark not only the 25th anniversary of our commemorations, but also look to the future and the next chapter for the International Slavery Museum.

“We’ve recently shared our vision for the museum in a series of rewarding public consultations. Listening, sharing and collaboration has given the project new momentum, and as we come together once more to mark Slavery Remembrance Day, we are grateful to all the people who are on this journey with us.”

Full details about Slavery Remembrance Day events HERE

Top: Artist Fiona Compton