This is Phase One of a very exciting project to commemorate the slaves who were buried in Liverpool but have been totally forgotten due to not having a grave marker or being remembered in the histories of the town.
We will start by establishing a tour guiding programme to train local people up to be able to stage Liverpool Enslaved Walking Tours alongside annual schools history and art prizes inspired by Liverpool's slaving history. Creating new, much-needed employment opportunities in the city.
The next phase will involve erecting a monument in St Nicholas Churchyard or St John's Gardens to commemorate the slaves. The newly trained tour guides will then be able to begin and end the tours at the memorial site.
What we'll deliver:
- Annual Schools History Prize
- Annual Schools Arts Prize
- Liverpool Enslaved Tour Guiding Scheme
Why it's a great idea:
Liverpool has a number of monuments, buildings and streets that commemorate slave traders. The Liverpool Enslaved Memorial will remember the victims of the slave trade that have been forgotten in Liverpool for more than two centuries, whilst highlighting the city's complex history. The project will also bring a number of educational opportunities for young people through the annual history and art prizes.
The Liverpool Enslaved Tour Guiding Scheme will provide skills training and employment, whilst creating a cultural offer for a city that is a popular destination for visitors, but which none of the larger tour guiding organisations provide. Using the public realm the tours will provide opportunities for exercise and education to the general populace.
The monument will provide a piece of public art that will add historical interest and beauty to one of our city greenspaces.
Steps to get it done:
- Hit our crowdfunding target
- Advertise then start the Liverpool Enslaved Tour Guiding Course
- Establish the Schools History and Art Prizes
In a city like Liverpool with such a rich history many people know that the port played a major role in the slave trade, but most people have no idea just how much the city benefited. This project will allow us to highlight that history in the public realm. It seems strange in this day and age that in Liverpool there is no public memorial to the millions of victims of the slave trade, when we take into consideration that this town was the world's leader in the transportation of enslaved people and in doing so transformed this port into "one of the richest and most prosperous trading centres of the world."
The Liverpool Enslaved Memorial Project will contribute to addressing that glaring omission in the public realm and through educating the populace of the city and further a field.
