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GREAT BLACK ICONS

IMPORTANT CHANGEMAKERS IN BRITISH & US HISTORY

#01 #02

// // MARY PRINCE BRITISH
ABOLITIONIST AND AUTO //FREDERICK DOUGLASS
BIOGRAPHER BORN IN 1788 SOCIAL REFORMER, ABOLI-
TIONIST, ORATOR, WRITER, AND
STATESMAN

BY: MARCELINE POWELL

Here are some examples of other stat- and conflated versions of written his- ple asked awkward questions of their
ues that could legitimately stand along- tory, might have known no better. It leaders. But where were they suddenly
side those slave traders held precious may come as a surprise to many, but if getting this new information from? And
by those clinging to the stale idea of we are to tear down every statue that who was putting moral and political
what made Britain great. represents wealth from the proceeds pressure on men like Wilberforce? Who
of the triangular human trafficking that were the real leaders of the Abolitionist
Records show that black men and wom- took place during the 18th century, movement that led to its eventual
en have lived in Britain since at least there are also many buildings in the UK abolition?
the 12th century, but it was the colonial that would also come in to question, not
‘empire’ that caused numbers to swell least, many council buildings, built by The real people named in this short
exponentially in the 17th and 18th MP’s who found wealth in the trade. article represent just some of those
centuries. who survived the horrors of the trian-
One character that is pushed to the gular trade and the war on Africa. They
There is an argument for both sides of fore in Britain, usually presented as fought against the slave traders, insur-
the debate about whether the statues of the exemplary leader in the abolitionist ance companies, shipping companies,
those who made their wealth through movement and used as the face of Brit- British MP’s, and US Congressmen to
trading in human suffering and ain’s façade that it led the way in aboli- secure freedom for all men and wom-
degradation should remain standing. tionism, is Wilberforce. A man who was en from brutality and bondage. These
only convinced after political pressure people helped to alleviate ordinary
After all, in their minds it was perfect- fell upon him. When pressure mounted Englishmen and women from extreme
ly legitimate to create wealth from the from ordinary white working-class peo- ignorance about what was taking place
suffering of ‘slaves’. The people they ple who were learning of the horrors in Africa and the Caribbean islands.
brutalised were less than, they were inflicted on their African brothers and They roused support and led lobby-
‘others’ ‘brutes’ who could take the heat sisters on the continent of Africa and in ists, wrote, and documented their ex-
and work and breed like animals. the Caribbean colonies. periences and pushed through their
People were disturbed by the informa- own extreme trauma to ensure change
MAGAZINE // 24 stupidity that underlies such blatant them. They started to lose admiration ations.
tion that had previously been kept from
Even if we accept or forgive the obvious
would one day come for future gener-
for the men who had travelled and re-
ignorance, one might argue that these
turned with great wealth. Ordinary peo-
people, now celebrated with statues