200 years since the abolition of the slave trade
Who really ended slavery?
Speakers Paul Gilroy, Weyman Bennett
The 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade has rightly initiated a discussion not simply about the wrongs that slavery brought on millions of Black people, but also about its economic role and how it was abolished.
Birmingham, like many other cities, has both its heroes and villains. The supply of the manacles to the trade is a horrific memory, while those who campaigned against it are to be celebrated.
This public meeting will look at 2 critical elements.
Firstly the role that the slave trade played in financing, and providing the stimulus for, the industrial revolution. Many of the great industrialists of the time were financed by money coming directly from the slave trade.
Secondly, and an element that is far too often forgotten, the role of the slaves themselves in destroying slavery. The rebellion of the slaves in Haiti was the beginning of the end for slavery. The British dominion of Jamaica saw its own uprising by slaves. In Britain freed slaves played an important part in the campaign to abolish the trade, alongside the likes of William Wilberforce MP.
Meeting details:
Wednesday 11th April 7pm
Afro-Caribbean Millennium Centre, 339 Dudley Rd , Winson Green
Who really ended slavery?
Speakers Paul Gilroy, Weyman Bennett
The 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade has rightly initiated a discussion not simply about the wrongs that slavery brought on millions of Black people, but also about its economic role and how it was abolished.
Birmingham, like many other cities, has both its heroes and villains. The supply of the manacles to the trade is a horrific memory, while those who campaigned against it are to be celebrated.
This public meeting will look at 2 critical elements.
Firstly the role that the slave trade played in financing, and providing the stimulus for, the industrial revolution. Many of the great industrialists of the time were financed by money coming directly from the slave trade.
Secondly, and an element that is far too often forgotten, the role of the slaves themselves in destroying slavery. The rebellion of the slaves in Haiti was the beginning of the end for slavery. The British dominion of Jamaica saw its own uprising by slaves. In Britain freed slaves played an important part in the campaign to abolish the trade, alongside the likes of William Wilberforce MP.
Meeting details:
Wednesday 11th April 7pm
Afro-Caribbean Millennium Centre, 339 Dudley Rd , Winson Green
Speakers:
Paul Gilroy is a leading Black British writer on racism. He wrote the seminal “There ain’t no black in the Union Jack” and whilst a doctoral student with Stuart Hall in Birmingham University Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies co-wrote “The empire strikes back: race and racism in 1970’s Britain ”
Weyman Bennett is the joint secretary of Unite Against Fascism
Paul Gilroy is a leading Black British writer on racism. He wrote the seminal “There ain’t no black in the Union Jack” and whilst a doctoral student with Stuart Hall in Birmingham University Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies co-wrote “The empire strikes back: race and racism in 1970’s Britain ”
Weyman Bennett is the joint secretary of Unite Against Fascism
Comments
Hide the following 3 comments
Small detail
11.04.2007 16:44
currently there are.....
218 million working children aged between five and 17
8.4 million children are in slavery, trafficking, debt bondage and other forms of forced labour, forced recruitment for armed conflict, prostitution, pornography and other illicit activities.
An estimated 496,000 children are in slavery in Bangladesh.
Over 10-20 million people are subjected to debt bondage largely in India, Bolivia, Brazil, Peru and Philippines.
“Restavek” the practice of sending children to serve as unpaid domestic labour for more affluent city dwellers exist in the country of Haiti. UNICEF estimated that 25,000 to 300,000 children, 85% of them girls, are victims of this practice.
90% of the 100,000 women in prostitution in Bombay, India, are indentured slaves.
Persons sometimes are sold into virtual slavery. Many boys from India, some of whom are as young as 4 years, end up as riders in camel races in West Asia and the Gulf States, especially to the United Arab Emirates, or begging during the Haj. Girls and women end up either as domestic workers or sex workers.
Do what do you think we you see the multicultural riot outside primart in Oxford Street?
Slavery takes complicity as it did ( and never stopped doing ) in the "age of empire." and you don't need to be and never needed to be a WASP ( but it probably helps! ).
How do you feel about castrating all pimps and sweatshop bosses? Just do it....
fuck capitalism fuck racism - fight class war
Do not be daft in your comment
11.04.2007 18:43
Fuck with racism? Do you mean only copulate with people of a different race? that could be enjoyable. But you seem to intend to use the term offensively, are you trying to say rape Capitalism?
You are so right to say that Slavery still exists. The American move to make the term only apply to their population is very close to the Israeli attempt to monopolise the Holocaust. One would hope for far more solidarity with the other victims from both.
It would be better to end the class war rather than fighting it. Think what has to be done to end the Class System and do that. Aim for Peace! You do not have to ba a pacifist to do that.
Ilyan
Haud servus fui
12.04.2007 14:56
Alison