Image Text: LABOUR: Jeremy Corbyn has announced out plans for a new slavery educational trust

LABOUR PARTY leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has announced plans for a new slavery educational trust under the next Labour government.

The proposal outlines that the next labour government would provide a grant for the new trust. Interested groups would bid for the government contract to obtain the funding needed to establish the new charity, which would be run by an individual charity or collective.

Dawn Butler, shadow minister for women and equalities and MP for Brent

Central, will be the lead on the project. She said: “I welcome our plans for a Slavery Educational Trust. Slavery is an abhorrent crime and it is important that the African slave trade and the role of Britain is never forgotten and that we learn the lessons.

“It is also vital that we remember the great tales of resilience of those enslaved, the resistance of people in society to slavery and the inspirational people involved in the abolition movement, and I’m pleased that this body will be able to do this and teach our young people about this dark time in history.”

The new body is expected not only to educate people about the horrors of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade but also to educate generations about the great strength and resilience of those enslaved, the wealth and beauty of Africa and the Caribbean, and to recognise those who fought against slavery and acknowledge the debt owed.

School programmes, trips to historical landmarks and sites and visits to the International Slavery Museum are all examples of possible projects that the trust could organise.

While Labour is in opposition, consultations with businesses, charities, academics and others with an interest and knowledge of the slave trade will take place so that the application process for the new body has every chance of being ready as soon as Labour is in government.

The party will also discuss the ways in which businesses and banks, particularly those with historic links to the slave trade, can “give back to the black, Asian and minority ethnic community”. This may include sponsoring bursaries for underrepresented groups from these communities to work in these institutions.

Britain led the slave trade from the mid-17th century onwards. Ports including Bristol, Liverpool and Glasgow sent out many slave ships each year, bringing wealth to the slave traders. Many other cities also grew rich on the profits of industries that depended on materials such as cotton, sugar and tobacco, which were produced by enslaved Africans.

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