There are so many dates in the history of Britain’s involvement in colonial slavery that choosing one for collective remembrance is difficult. On 23 August every year, Unesco’s day of remembrance focuses on the Black men and women who started an uprising in Haiti in 1791. In Britain and former British territories, 25 March marks the 1807 legislation that would end the country’s involvement in the slave trade, and Emancipation Day on 1 August commemorates the 1834 act abolishing slavery coming into effect. Despite all of these dates, there has been little recognition of Britain’s historical role in the slave trade from our government or political leaders.
When discussions about slavery do happen, they focus narrowly on the British empire and tend to be polarised. David Cameron declared his “pride” in the empire but rarely mentioned slavery or colonialism (on a visit to Jamaica in 2015, the then prime minister urged the country to “move on” from this history). Meanwhile, the current Conservative party displays a nostalgia for the glorious days of the British empire, when imperial subjects didn’t “disturb” Britain’s social and cultural landscapes.
