Liverpool & The Slave Trade

Liverpool & The Slave Trade

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Between 1700 and 1800, Liverpool was transformed from not much more than a fishing village into one of the busiest slave-trading ports in the world and then into a general trading port and city without peer in the 19th and 20th centuries. An estimated 15 million Africans were transported as slaves to the Americas between 1540 and 1850. Ships from Liverpool accounted for more than 40% of the European slave trade.

The town and its inhabitants derived great wealth from the trade. It laid the foundations for the town's growth. It is no exaggeration to say that the grand buildings which grace Liverpool's waterfront and inner heart today were built with the blood money of slavery. In order to understand how and why Liverpool flourished in this way, it is necessary to explain something about the nature of the slave trade.

Background to the slave trade

After the European discovery of the Americas and West Indies, land was distributed to Europeans who founded plantations to grow commodities much sought after back home. These included sugar, tobacco and cotton. In order to produce goods at a profitable rate, cheap labour was required to work the plantations

At first, the native people of America and the West Indies were used as salves but overwork, disease and ill-treatment led to serious labour shortages. Attempts were then made to obtain labour from Ireland and England. English servants could gain free passage and the promise of land, by agreeing to be bound to an employer for a set number of years, but few took up the offer.

Why slaves from Africa

Europeans were trading in Africa as well as the New World. Slavery already existed in Africa, where tribes enslaved people from other ethnic groups, as prisoners of war, in payment for debt or as a punishment for crimes. African slaves started to be shipped to the plantations in the Americas. To meet the increasing demand from European traders, there was a marked increase in the numbers of wars, raids and kidnapping of individuals, particularly on the west coast.

Landowners in the Americas quickly concluded that African slaves were more suitable than the English or Irish. The reasons usually stated for African slaves being preferred is that they could easily be brought from traders on the West African coast and were more immune to disease than indigenous Americans or imported white slaves.

Although there is some truth in these arguments, the main reason was that Africans made good slave labourers because many of them were skilled artisans. However the hard life of a slave meant nearly one-third of all slaves were dying within three years, creating a constant demand to replace them.

Thus started a notorious period in British and American history: that of the slave trade.

The Slave Trade Triangle

The transatlantic slave trade generally followed a triangular route. Traders set out from European ports towards Africa's west coast laden with items such as guns, cloth and metal goods. There they bought slaves in exchange for their European cargo and loaded them into the ships. The voyage across the Atlantic itself generally took six to eight weeks. Once in the Americas, those Africans who had survived the journey were off-loaded for sale and put to work as slaves. The ships returned to Europe with goods such as sugar, coffee, tobacco, rice and later cotton, which had been produced by slave labour.

The triangle, involving three continents, was complete. European capital, African labour and American land and resources combined to supply a European market.

By the 1730s about 15 ships a year were leaving for Africa and this grew to about 50 a year in the 1750s, rising to just over a 100 in each of the early years of the 1770s. Numbers declined during the American War of Independence (1775-1783), but rose to a new peak of 120-130 ships annually in the two decades preceding the abolition of the slave trade in 1807. Probably three-quarters of all European slaving ships at this period left from Liverpool. Overall, Liverpool ships transported half of the three million Africans carried across the Atlantic by British slavers.

Conditions On Board

Conditions on board ship from Africa to the New World were appalling. The combination of over-crowding, disease, inadequate food, poor weather, unseaworthy ships, rebellion and punishment took a heavy toll on captives and crew alike. Surviving records suggest that until the 1750s one in five Africans on board ship died.

Male slaves were packed together below deck and were secured by leg irons. The space was so cramped they were forced to crouch or lie down. Women and children were kept in separate quarters, sometimes on deck, allowing them limited freedom of movement, but this also exposed them to violence and sexual abuse from the crew.

Some European governments, such as the British and French, introduced laws to control conditions on board. They reduced the numbers of slaves to be carried and required a surgeon to be taken on each voyage. The principal reason for taking action was concern for the crew and not the captives. The surgeons, though often unqualified, were paid head-money to keep slaves alive. By about 1800 records show that the number of Africans who died had declined to about one in 18.

Liverpool's Fortune

A significant factor in Liverpool's engagement in the Slave Trade was the port's geographical position in the north-west of England, with ready access via a network of rivers and canals to the goods traded in Africa - textiles from Lancashire and Yorkshire, copper and brass from Staffordshire and Cheshire and guns from Birmingham.

Liverpool's first slaving vessel, ironically named Blessing, set sail in 1700. In 1710 two slave ships departed from Liverpool, 24 from London and 20 from Bristol. London then declined and Bristol rose to prominence mid-century, but by 1771 Liverpool was the pre-eminent slave ship port. That year no fewer than 107 left dock on the Mersey on slaving voyages compared with 58 from London and 20 from Bristol. By the end of the 18th century, Liverpool had over 60% of the entire British trade and 40% of the entire European slave trade.

Profits could be huge: the ship Lively made a profit of 300% in 1737, although this was exceptional. Most ships could guarantee a 10% profit.

In Liverpool, there were ten large merchant houses engaged in the slave trade and 349 smaller firms. Shop windows displayed shining chains and manacles, devices to force open the mouths of slaves who refused to eat, neck rings, thumb screws and other implements of torment and oppression.

Not all of Liverpool's wealth was thanks to the slave trade, but it was undoubtedly the backbone of the town's prosperity. Slaving and related trades may have occupied a third and possibly a half of Liverpool's shipping activity in the period 1750 to 1807. The wealth acquired by the town was substantial and the stimulus it gave to trading and industrial development throughout the north-west of England and the Midlands was of crucial importance.

Slave merchants such as Foster Cunliffe made a fortune. He was mayor of the city three times and President of the Liverpool Infirmary and a sponsor of the Bluecoat School. When he wasn't exercising his philanthropic impulses, he sent three or four ships to collect African slaves each year in the 1730s. Before his death, Foster Cunliffe had ensured his son Ellis a seat in parliament. Other families such as the Leylands, Bolds and Kennions prospered in a similar way.

Defending the slave trade in the British Parliament in 1806, Liverpool's MP, General Bonastre Tarleton, himself from a slave-owning family, described with pride Liverpool's rise 'to become the second place in wealth and population in the British Empire'. During the same debate, William Roscoe and William Wilberforce worked on behalf of the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade and were adamant that 'nothing short of an entire and immediate abolition will satisfy'. The Parliamentary vote resulted in the abolition of slavery in Britain the following year.

The last British slaver, The Kitty Amelia, under captain Hugh Crow, a one-eyed Manxman, left Liverpool in July, 1807.

After the slave trade

After abolition in Britain in 1807 Liverpool continued to develop the trading connections which had been established by the slave trade, both in Africa and the Americas. It continued to grow and prosper as a maritime port well into the 20th Century, until sea trade declined internationally and the demand for new ships from the Mersey shipyards reduced to such a level that they are now closed.

Very little acknowledged evidence of Liverpool's slave trade survives in the city today, considering how many lives were traded by its merchants.

The Maritime Museum with its gallery detailing the city's role in the trade stands on the corner of Albert Dock. Built in 1841, the dock is next to the former entrance of Canning Dock, Liverpool's first dock used by the slave ships and today filled in and known as Canning Place. Two dry docks used to repair slave ships from the 1750s until the end of the trade are still used today by the Maritime Museum. Aside from this, some buildings of the era survive scattered around the town.

The Bluecoats School, founded and funded by slave merchants, is now an arts centre.

At the Pier Head, buildings resonant of the British Empire such as the Liver Building dominate a landscape whose wealth was built with the slave ships that once docked just a few hundred yards away.

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Further Information

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National Museums Liverpool Blog - international slavery museum

Getting hands on with maritime history

Karen Charnock from Merseyside Maritime Museum's education team sent me this photo, which is a great example of the type of specialist sessions they can provide on request. She explains:>

"We received a special request from two visiting couples with visual impairments. They wanted an interactive, hands-on way to engage with the collections and the demonstration team were delighted to oblige by providing them with a one to one handling session on gallery. Here's a photo of our visitors with their guide dogs Kai and Corrie. They spent over an hour with demonstrator Jane Murdoch, who used objects that reflected all aspects of the museum collections from ships and shipping, to the Battle of the Atlantic, even incorporating the International Slavery Museum.

The session was thoroughly enjoyed by all and the group felt that it had completely enhanced their experience of the museum."

The beauty of humanity shines through

It's great to see our venues through fresh eyes. One of our work placement volunteers has written this great review of the International Slavery Museum, which has made me want to visit it all over again:

"My name is Lauren Edwards and I have been volunteering for National Museums Liverpool for just over a year but have spent the half term shadowing Rebecca Watkin, curator of the International Slavery Museum. Working within the museums is something that is both diverse and challenging and the International Slavery Museum has been a great place to gain experience and see how much National Museums Liverpool has to offer. The International Slavery Museum is unique in its subject content and links to the city and is a groundbreaker and I have found it a privilege to spend time there. From dealing with enquires behind the scenes, to assisting on handling sessions on the gallery floor, I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience and the International Slavery Museum and would encourage all to pay a visit.

As you enter the International Slavery Museum the Slavery Wall begins a journey into the history of transatlantic and modern slavery, life in Africa itself and the legacy that slavery has left behind but also acts as a physical reminder of the pain and suffering, yet hope and strength that those touched by slavery showed. It iincludes quotes such as:

?I prefer liberty with danger, than peace with slavery.?

The above quote, though anonymous, shows the conflict that runs through though the history and debate of transatlantic slavery and indeed thought the gallery itself. Perhaps it is yet more significant through its anonymity amongst the quotes from politicians and activists, as a voice of all those nameless but not forgotten enslaved people which the International Slavery Museum can help to remember.

The International Slavery Museum is a moving and poignant site and perhaps many may think that it is a serious and solemn museum to visit. Yes, there is a great deal of pain that is dealt with in the galleries and the subject is not treated lightly, but the museum is extremely successful in combining this with stories of great courage and bravery and celebrating African culture both of the past and present. The museum is very much about taking visitors on a journey. A journey that will challenge them, educate them and inspire them.

The visitor begins in the vibrant, colourful Life in West Africa gallery where the elaborate African fabrics lead into the Igbo compound, where the orange glow will excite both children and adults alike. This gallery gives a small snapshot into village life and shows visitors how diverse and rich the culture was of those taken into slavery. This joyful, bright gallery is contrasted with the Enslavement and the Middle Passage galleries and presents the visitor with a sharp contrast and a jolt from the orange and yellow light of African life into the darkness of slavery.

The Middle Passage itself tells of the terrible conditions endured by Africans and of the life that they led in the Americas. Whilst some may find the information upsetting, it is dealt with in a careful manner, and gives a real insight into how the slave trade was operated and what life the enslaved Africans led if they survived. The gallery is a dark one and stands to be a sombre and respectful area which pushes those passing through it to confront the true horror of slavery.

From this sadness the museum moves on to the Legacy gallery which deals with the effects of transatlantic slavery today. Yet again the visitor is forced to question their own perceptions of the legacy of slavery and is confronted with conflicting ideology. The Ku Klux Klan outfit, symbolising the continuing struggle of racism, is housed only a short distance from the stunning, sequinned African costumes. It is perhaps not coincidental that the feathered and multicoloured beauty of the African costumes far outshine the plain and drabness of the Ku Klux Klan outfit.

This celebration of African culture today is a strong theme in the International Slavery Museum. From the interactive music desks to the sculptures, all aspects of African culture are celebrated. Traditional African music is combined with the music of resistance and the words of Martin Luther King to form the soundtrack to the Legacy gallery. The music lifts your spirits and lights up the colours in the gallery. Perhaps the centrepiece is the Black Achievers Wall featuring those who have had a successful impact on life today. The wall stands as a testimony to the strength of character that can, and has shone through adversity. From politicians to rock stars the wall covers all walks of life and continues to grow, with the recent additions added to a new wall for International Women?s Day.

The International Slavery Museum deals with perhaps one of the most difficult and terrible aspects of Liverpool?s history but has become not a place of mourning but one of remembrance and celebration. It combines the pain and suffering of those affected by slavery and racism with the vibrancy and strength of both culture and character. Through education the International Slavery Museum aims to create a social change and is still fighting against slavery that continues today. When leaving the International Slavery Museum I felt a sense of sadness but also one of understanding, of protest and of joy. Joy that the beauty of humanity can shine through even the darkest of times."

Something for Thursdays

Thursday afternoons are never going to be the same again?

I am really excited about our new Spring 2010 Public Lecture Series, which kicks off tomorrow (April 22). It?s being held at the Treasure House Theatre, World Museum, and features a selection of subjects from our museums and galleries? collections and exhibitions, from archaeology to contemporary slavery.

For the next four Thursdays, our curators will be talking about some of the fascinating things they have researched.

Tomorrow?s topics are Researching 10th to 16th-century Caribbean wood sculpture; Collecting contemporary slavery objects for the International Slavery Museum; and The Huxley Hoard of Viking Silver. Each talk lasts about 25 minutes.

Future highlights include Toxteth Deer Park; Liverpool's court housing and the history of World Museum Liverpool, as part of the venue's 150th anniversary celebrations.

The public lecture series is admission free and runs on Thursdays 22 April - 13 May from 2pm-3.15pm. Hope to see you there!

News from the Grand Rue

International Slavery Museum collections development officer Stephen Carl-Lokko with ankle bracelet from Niger
Hello>

I am sure most people like myself and the staff at International Slavery Museum have been keeping up-to-date with the unfolding humanitarian tragedy in Haiti, a result of the catastrophic earthquake on 12 January. Out of this disaster we received some welcome good news recently that one of the Haitian artists involved with the Freedom! sculpture on display in the museum, Guyodo (Frantz Jacques), along with his family, are fine, as well as several colleagues from the Grand Rue artists collective, but sadly his home was destroyed. We are currently looking to develop a long-term sustainable partnership with Haiti, possibly with an artists collective. Due to the imagination and creativity of Haitian artists this is a real possibility. Interestingly the Ghetto Biennale was held in Grand Rue in December which is a fascinating project and a good starting point for any future collaboration.

Remember that there are also a number of organisations and agencies who are still accepting donations such as Christian Aid (our partners in commissioning the Freedom! sculpture), UNICEF, the British Red Cross and the Disasters Emergency Committee.

The International Slavery Museum has had another very good month in terms of visitor figures. We have now had upwards of 900,000 visitors since we opened in 2007 and our statisticians (scientists in white coats scratching their chins) think our millionth visitor will walk through the doors in March. It could be you! If it is, then you will be given an invitation to the private view of our forthcoming exhibition Beyond the Boundary. I think our varied exhibition programme is a large part of International Slavery Museum's success. Black Britannia has received some fantastic reviews and Trafficked, difficult subject that it is, continues to be a very poignant aspect of the museum which highlights the fact we are a campaigning museum.

Leading on from this, part of the job remit of our collections development officer - Stephen Carl-Lokko, was to develop a new collecting strand around the subject of contemporary slavery. A very difficult task but one we felt essential. As part of this policy the International Slavery Museum curatorial team has recently acquired two very powerful and indeed unsettling pieces for the museum's collections.
Missing (2007) is a series of photographs of urban and suburban Britain by the artist Rachel Wilberforce which depict sex-trafficking and prostitution through the interiors and exteriors of brothels and so-called massage parlours. They are devoid of people, yet at the same time reveal human activity. The photographs show scenes of a slave trade which still thrives, and illustrates how much slavery is still very much a contemporary issue. Rachel Wilberforce works with photography, film, video, installation and live art intervention.

The museum also acquired an ankle bracelet which had been collected by Anti-Slavery International. It was 'worn' by a modern-day domestic slave girl in Niger. It represents the importance of the International Slavery Museum's work in developing its collections in this area and campaigning on the issue of contemporary forms of slavery.

Finally I wanted to flag up the inaugural conference of the Federation of International Human Rights Museums (FIHRM) which will take place in Liverpool on 15-16 September 2010. The Federation was established by National Museums Liverpool and will enable museums who deal with sensitive and thought-provoking subjects such as transatlantic slavery, the holocaust and human rights to work together and share new thinking and initiatives in a supportive environment. It will initially be led by the International Slavery Museum. The FIHRM website will be available soon, or for details on the conference you can email Fran�oise McClafferty using this contact form.

If you are indeed the millionth visitor then see you soon!

Bye for now

Why slavery?
'A view of Liverpool' by Henry Freeman James from Merseyside Maritime Museum

I find the subject of slavery deeply disturbing and the more we find out about its workings, the greater the sense of disbelief.

It is astonishing that misery, disease and death could be imposed upon other human beings on such a vast scale. There are many important lessons to be learnt from the slave trade.

The native peoples of the Americas and Caribbean were profoundly affected or exterminated and their cultures largely destroyed following the arrival of Europeans.

As colonies were set up and plantations established, there was a chronic shortage of labour because the local people had died in vast numbers.

The transatlantic slave trade happened because Europeans needed workers for their colonial enterprises. This resulted in the largest forced migration in human history as Africans were enslaved in their millions and transported across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas.

When European explorers arrived in the 15th and 16th centuries, they exploited the riches of the new lands. Initially Spain and Portugal took the lead and were followed by England, France and the Netherlands.

These were the countries that developed the transatlantic slave trade. The Portuguese began growing sugar in Brazil in the 1540s. As Europeans acquired a taste for sweetened food and drink, the demand grew and plantations were established in Caribbean colonies.

Other profitable commodities also entered the plantation system including coffee, tobacco and particularly cotton which was later to play a big part in the growth of Liverpool, Manchester and other Lancashire towns.

On display in the International Slavery Museum, in the Merseyside Maritime Museum building, are two stone implements from the Taino culture - rare survivals of the original inhabitants of the Caribbean.

Europeans looked to Africa for a new supply of labour. Liverpool was not involved in early English slaving but came to dominate the transatlantic slave trade by the closing decades of the 18th century.

On display is an oil painting by Henry F James showing Liverpool in 1811 (pictured) just four years after the abolition of the slave trade. During this latter period of the trade, dealings with the West Indies generated about 40 per cent of Liverpool?s wealth.

A Wedgwood creamware bowl of 1786 features a hand-painted view of a sailing ship called the Lord Stanley. It was almost certainly made for presentation to John Smale, the ship?s captain, prior to his departure to West Africa on a slaving voyage.

A new Maritime Tale by Stephen Guy appears every Saturday in the Liverpool Echo. A paperback ? Mersey Maritime Tales (�3.99) ? is available from the museum, newsagents, bookshops or from the Mersey Shop website (�1 p&p UK).

Season's greetings!
Remember that Go Penguins are visiting until 10 January.

Just a quick message to say "Merry Christmas, one and all" - hope you get what you deserve - and to remind you that all of our venues are open over the Christmas period (excluding Boxing Day and New Year's Day and closing at 2pm on Christmas Eve).

When the weather is filthy, the kids suffering from cabin fever, and your wallet a little on the skinny side there's always a day at your free, friendly, neighbourhood museum or gallery to get you out of the house. Check out our Christmas section to find out what's on over the holiday.

There's also a preview page describing some of the excellent exhibitions we've lined up for 2010. I'm especially looking forward to Toulouse-Lautrec at the Walker and China Through the lens of John Thomson at the Maritime.

Have a good one.

Another great year for the International Slavery Museum
Rebecca Watkin, curator of transatlantic slavery, with the 2009 UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize certificate, in front of the Trafficked exhibition
Hello there

Well it has been another great year for the museum in so many ways, not least the fact we have now had over 850,000 visitors, but it has also been challenging, thought provoking and indeed humbling.

There have been many highlights and some not so highlights of 2009. We were extremely proud that we achieved an Honourable Mention as part of the 2009 UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence which rewards significant activities in the scientific, artistic, cultural or communication fields aimed at the promotion of a spirit of tolerance and non-violence. It showed the museum was seen as a human rights campaigner by its peers. We also made the final of the National Lottery Good Causes awards and the European Museum of the Year awards in Bursa, Turkey. We did not win but it was still a significant achievement for a museum which is only 2 years old.

We have hosted several very successful exhibitions including Black Britiannia and Trafficked and been visited by a host of important, interesting and often well known people such as the civil rights activist Diane Nash, who give the annual Slavery Remembrance Day memorial lecture, and the Liverpool boxing legend John Conteh. In February Richard LeBaron, Charg� d'Affaires at the United States Embassy and Simon Woolley, national co-ordinator of Operation Black Vote, unveiled a plaque of President Barack Obama. Added to all this we continue to offer a vibrant learning programme which is both original and often groundbreaking.

There have unfortunately been some less celebratory events. In particular the loss of John Hope Franklin, one of the most important American historians of the 20th century and a great advocate of the International Slavery Museum. He will be fondly remembered by myself and all those fortunate to have met him. The year shockingly also saw the British National Party gain a degree of political kudos by winning seats at the European elections. Rather than sit idly by I hope that like the museum you support the Hope Not Hate campaign and make a stand against such organisations.

Looking ahead I am convinced that International Slavery Museum will have an exciting, challenging and successful 2010. We are planning many events, for instance on 18 January (Martin Luther King Day in the US) we will be showing the film 'Boycott' about the 1955 Montgomery Bus boycott as a mark of respect. The inaugural Federation of Human Rights Museums (FIHRM) conference will also be held at the International Slavery Museum, which will bring together some of the leading human rights museums and institutions across the globe to see how we can work together to challenge issues such as racism and discrimination and the rise of the far right. The museum will continue to support Black History Month in October and there will be the annual Slavery Remembrance Day events. In March we will be launching a new exhibition called Beyond the Boundary which explores the relationship between cricket, culture, class and politics. There will be much much more so watch this space.

By for now and I hope that many of you have a visit to the museum as one of your New Year resolutions!

DSC Social Change awards result
Our runners-up certificate

You might remember that we asked you to vote for our Engaging Refugees and Asylum Seekers programme in the DSC Social Change Awards. Unfortunately we didn't win, but were runners-up which out of 380 proposals and a longlist of 90 is still pretty good. We were also given a certificate featuring a rather fine cartoon from The Spectator and Private Eye cartoonist, Grizelda. Well done to the Papworth Trust who did win the category and 'thank you' to everyone who voted.

See Hear at the International Slavery Museum

BBC?s See Hear filmed at the International Slavery Museum last month as part of Black History Month. They brought a group of people with hearing impairments from London to see the museum for the first time.

You can watch their very moving response on BBC?s iplayer.

You gotta jump n' jive

It's widely accepted by my friends and family that I am not a morning person. The most my brain can cope with before 9.30am is managing to remember my sandwich for lunch, and until this morning I was quite happy with my brain capacity.

However this was before I met the most energetic early-morning people ever. Russell Sargeant and Claude Martin Currie are members of dance company The Jiving Lindy Hoppers who will be performing at the Strictly Come Dancing with the Jiving Lindy Hoppers event on Friday 30 October from 7-11pm at the Maritime Dining Rooms (4th floor of the Merseyside Maritime Museum).

I had asked Russell and Claude to have their picture taken this morning by a photographer from the Daily Post & Echo to go into the paper. They were such good sports, getting changed into costume and dancing infront of the anchor all before I?m sure their breakfast had even digested!

Judging from the effort they put into having their picture taken I can be sure that this Friday is sure to be just as exhilarating and fun! What better way to spend a Friday evening than listening to live music, enjoying the wonderful dance of the Lindy Hop, and all in a restaurant with amazing views of the Albert Dock.

To book your tickets for this free event please e-mail bookingsmmm@liverpoolmuseums.org.uk or call 0151 478 4441

Claude Martin Currie (left) and Russell Sargeant have their picture taken while they dance the Lindy Hop
Help us win a DSC Social Change Award

We're pleased to report that we've been shortlisted for yet another award, and again we need your help to win. The nomination is for our Engaging Refugees and Asylum Seekers programme and recognises our efforts to help people for the benefit of the whole community and generally change society for the better.

There's more on the awards themselves, the DSC Social Change Awards, and details of how to enter on the award website. Voting closes on 6 November with the winners announced on 26 November. Vote for us now!!!

Rising to the Challenge

Saturday?s Carnegie Challenge Cup is certainly going to be different. For the first time since the 1986 final between Castleford and Hull, none of the ?big four? - Leeds, Bradford, Wigan and St Helens - will be going Wembley. That privilege will be enjoyed instead by Huddersfield Giants and Warrington Wolves along with coach loads of their thirsty fans.

Ellery Hanley - a rugby league legend. Photograph by John Ferguson �

I, for one, am relieved. Not only is it great for the game to share the silverware but we also have a family wedding on Saturday and a congregation made up of Wigan and Saints fans who would no doubt spend the day with their eyes on the score instead of the bride (and I include the groom in that). So hats off to Huddersfield, and the best of luck to Warrington who will be flying the rugby league flag for the region ? it?s going to be a rip-roarer!

Anyone involved in the game of rugby league knows what an exciting and entertaining spectacle it can be and is always on the look out for ways to spread the magic. That?s why I am thrilled to see the formidable Ellery Hanley represented in John Ferguson?s photography exhibition ?Black Britannia? at the International Slavery Museum. The exhibition features portraits of Black Britons who have contributed to British culture and whose achievements can provide a positive role mode for many Black British youngsters today - and what an inspiration Ellery has been in his field.

Ellery played phenomenal top flight rugby at Bradford, Leeds and most notably for Wigan during the peak of their success, as well as for Balmain and Western Suburbs in Australia. Over the course of his career he was capped 34 times for Great Britain and became Britain?s first Black coach in 1994. In 1999 he also coached the Saints to Super League victory. His accolades include the Rugby League World Golden Boot Award, Man of Steel, the Lance Todd Trophy, an MBE for services to rugby league and induction into the Rugby League Hall of Fame.

When it comes to rugby league Ellery Hanley certainly set the standard. If Warrington and Huddersfield need any inspiration for the weekend?s big clash, then this picture will surely provide it.

A VIP visit to the International Slavery Museum
Dr. Richard Benjamin and Greg Roberts

We received a VIP visit to the International Slavery Museum yesterday. Greg Roberts, president and chief executive officer of the Muhammad Ali Centre in Louisville, Kentucky dropped by and was given a tour of the museum by Dr. Richard Benjamin.

The museum recently reached the finals of the National Lottery Awards. Voting has now closed but we are keeping everything crossed that we will be successful when the winners are announced on 5 September.

BSL supported events this weekend

As you may know, this weekend sees the Slavery Remembrance Day festival - there's more on the background to the event on our main website. A good number of the weekend's events are supported with British Sign Language, including Diane Nash's lecture. There's a good mix of activities, dramatisations, discussions, lectures and performances. A full list of the supported events can be found on our BSL interpretation events page.

Please vote NOW!

Voting in the National Lottery awards closes at midday today so we REALLY need you to vote if you've not done so already. You can vote online on the National Lottery Good Causes website, or by calling 0844 686 6957.

And 'thank you' if you have already!