
Lancaster and the Atlantic Slave Trade: Will Pettigrew, Geraldine Onek & Nick Radburn
Lancaster was the fourth largest British port involved in the Atlantic Slave Trade and its fortunes rose dramatically in the eighteenth century as a direct result. Yet by 1857, only two decades after abolition and compensation totalling £20million had been paid to former slave owners, and when that wealth was driving the industrial revolution, its origins were being passed over in silence.
Professor Will Pettigrew and Doctor Nick Radburn of Lancaster University, who are leading a national consortium to investigate the significance of the Atlantic Slave Trade to Britain’s economic, political, and cultural development, will present the project’s aims, while Geraldine Onek will talk about the work of Lancaster Black History Group, and together they will discuss how both projects, and others like them, share the common aim of reaching a fuller understanding Britain’s history.
“Britain’s ability to confront her colonial past and post-colonial present depends upon the provision of high-quality data. This project will supply that need” -Will Pettigrew
Together with Lancaster University and Lancaster Black History Group, Litfest will follow the course of this hugely important research as it unfolds.
Geraldine Onek is a primary school teacher and founder member of Lancaster Black History Group.
Will Pettigrew is Professor of History at Lancaster University.
Dr Nick Radburn is a Lecturer in the History of the Atlantic World 1500–1800 at Lancaster University.
How to Watch:
In person at The Auditorium, The Storey
Online via Crowdcast
Tickets:
Watch in-person £8 (£6 concessions)
Watch online £5