Gee Walker to lead walk of remembrance
Slavery Remembrance Day Friday 23 August 2013
Gee Walker will lead a Walk of Remembrance through Liverpool city centre as part of Slavery Remembrance Day commemorations.
Slavery Remembrance Day has been commemorated in Liverpool every 23 August since 1999. It is organised by National Museums Liverpool in partnership with Liverpool City Council.
As well as remembering those lost through the transatlantic slave trade, Slavery Remembrance Day also reminds us of the threat of racism and discrimination in modern society.
The Walk of Remembrance will take place on Friday 23 August at 12 noon and weave through Church Street and Liverpool ONE before reaching the Albert Dock. The traditional African Libation ceremony will begin at 1pm outside the International Slavery Museum.
On Thursday 22 August at 6pm a Memorial Lecture will be delivered by leading Jamaican academic, Professor Verene Shepherd, at Liverpool Town Hall. Booking is essential for this free event: 0151 478 4240.
Claire Benjamin, Head of Communities at National Museums Liverpool said: “We are honoured that the Walker family have agreed to take part in the Walk of Remembrance.
“Gee is an inspiration and her presence will add something very special to what is always a very moving and poignant day.
“Everyone is welcome to join us on 23 August and we’d hope Liverpool people come out and lend their support.
“We are also thrilled to welcome Professor Verene Shepherd to the city. The Memorial Lecture is always very popular and we look forward to hearing Professor Shepherd’s lecture.”
Mayor Joe Anderson said: “It is vital that our children grow up realising the importance of Slavery Remembrance Day and what it means to live in a society that respects others regardless of their race or colour.
“I am delighted that Gee Walker has kindly agreed to lead this year’s walk, her courage and dignity is humbling for all of us.
“I hope as many people, young and old, take part in the activities taking place over the weekend but more importantly I hope we can encourage others to understand different cultures and help create a better, more inclusive future for everyone.”
Three days of free activity around Slavery Remembrance Day include:
- Saturday 17 August: Family Day at the International Slavery Museum runs 1-4pm and includes activities inspired by Black achievement.
- Thursday 22 August: Memorial Lecture at Liverpool Town Hall by Professor Verene Shepherd: “Enough done be enough! Women, enslavement and emancipation”. Starts at 6pm. Booking is essential: 0151 478 4240.
- Friday 23 August: Walk of Remembrance (starts noon) through Liverpool city centre and Libation ceremony (starts 1pm) at Albert Dock.
Following the Libation a variety of events take place on Friday 23 August at the International Slavery Museum including the showing of Akwantu: the Journey. This ground-breaking documentary tells the story of the legendary Maroons of Jamaica and their fight for freedom.
Details about all the Slavery Remembrance Day events: www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/slavery
Notes to Editors
Slavery Remembrance Day
Slavery Remembrance Day has taken place annually in Liverpool on 23 August since 1999. August 23 is a significant date as it commemorates an uprising of enslaved Africans on the island of Saint-Domingue (modern Haiti) in 1791. Slavery Remembrance Day is organised by National Museums Liverpool in partnership with Liverpool City Council. For the last 14 years people have converged on the Albert Dock to remember those affected by slavery during a traditional Libation ceremony.
The Walk of Remembrance has been taking place in Liverpool since 2011.
Memorial lectures in recent years have been delivered by civil rights campaigner Mr Martin Luther King III, renowned activist and scholar Dr Maulana Karenga, civil rights campaigner Diane Nash and Zimbabwe’s first Black cricketer Henry Olonga.
International Slavery Museum
The International Slavery Museum opened in August 2007. It is situated on the third floor of the Merseyside Maritime Museum at the Albert Dock. It is the only national museum in the world to cover the transatlantic slave trade and its legacies as well as contemporary forms of slavery and enslavement. It is also an international hub for resources on human rights issues and campaigning.Liverpool and the slave trade
Liverpool became the major port for the transatlantic slave trade. Liverpool ships were involved in forcibly transporting as many as 1.5 million enslaved Africans across the Atlantic from 1699 until the British Parliament passed the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in 1807. As a result, much of the city’s wealth in the 18th and 19th centuries came from the profits made by the enslavement of Africans which cemented the foundations for the port’s future growth. In 1999 Liverpool City Council passed a formal motion apologising for the city’s role in the transatlantic slave trade and the enslavement of Africans.
About Professor Verene Shepherd
Professor Shepherd is a leading Jamaican academic specialising in Caribbean Women’s History, Migration and Diasporas and Jamaican Economic History. She is Professor of History and Director of the Institute for Gender and Development Studies at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica.
She has a long association with the women’s movement and research on gender issues. Professor Shepherd is a respected broadcaster. She was also the first woman to chair the Board of Trustees of the Jamaica National Heritage Trust.
Anthony Walker Foundation:
The Anthony Walker Foundation (AWF) was set up in 2006 following the tragic death of Anthony. The mission of the Foundation is to promote equality and diversity through education, sport and arts events and to support criminal justice agencies and local communities to reduce hate crime and build safer cohesive communities. www.anthonywalkerfoundation.com
About National Museums Liverpool
National Museums Liverpool comprises eight venues. Our collections are among the most important and varied in Europe and contain everything from Impressionist paintings and rare beetles to a lifejacket from the Titanic. We attract more than three million visitors every year. Our venues are World Museum, Museum of Liverpool, the Walker Art Gallery, Merseyside Maritime Museum, International Slavery Museum, Border Force National Museum, Sudley House and the Lady Lever Art Gallery.