On the 7th of May 2022, the Afro-Brazil Cultural Centre organised an event called: “Atlantic Diaspora: abolition, diversity and inclusion” at Casa do Brasil, in London. The debate was developed in a pedagogical process, ignited by the proximity of the 13th of May, the date of signature of the Aurea Law, the Brazilian slavery “abolition” act.
On 8th September 2021, a crowd gathered on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia, USA, near the base of its iconic statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The atmosphere in the crowd was jubilant as workers positioned a crane, wrapped the statue in a harness, and finally–after an hour of preparation, a year of court cases, and 131 years of racial terror set in stone–pulled the statue down from its plinth.
Last September, the University of Edinburgh found itself at the centre of international scrutiny after temporarily renaming the David Hume Tower (now referred to by its street designation 40 George Square).
In the last two weeks the painstaking work activists and historians have done over decades to document Scotland’s historic connections with Atlantic slavery has exploded into public view. No longer can someone like Dundas be put literally on a pedestal, without recognition of his role in prolonging a great evil.
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