City MP leading calls for Emancipation Day to become a bank holiday

An annual event marking an important part of British history, especially for the Black community, should be Britain’s next Bank Holiday, says a Leicester MP. The call is being made in the run-up to this year’s commemorations in the city to mark Emancipation Day.

On 1 August 1833, the Slavery Abolition Act was passed, which outlawed slavery in most British colonies including Canada. More than 800,000 people were freed after the deed was passed through parliament.

The Abolition of the Slave Trade Act, passed by the British Parliament in 1807, outlawed the slave trade after centuries of activism but this did nothing to free the existing enslaved workforce in the British empire. But during the 1820s and early 1830s, a strong network of women’s anti-slavery associations developed.

n 1823, religious groups, politicians and supporters from around the country came together to form the Anti-Slavery Society. Ultimately, this resulted in the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act finally being passed, meaning that from then on, it would be illegal for people, largely of the Black community, and their descendants to be bought, sold or kept in slavery.

Fast forward to the present day, many of Britain’s former colonies celebrate the first day of August as Emancipation Day with either a bank holiday or a day of cultural activities. Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines all have an official commemoration.

Despite its widespread recognition across the world, Britain is still yet to acknowledge Emancipation day as an official holiday. Leicester East MP Claudia Webbe is one of those calling for it to be made a formal Bank Holiday in Britain.

She said: “We are approaching a monumental day in British and World history, yet one which is barely recognised or commemorated in the UK. It is long overdue that the UK joins this global trend, and commemorates August 1 as a bank holiday.

“As well as confronting our imperial history, this would also improve the lot of all English workers – who get four fewer public holidays than the EU average. All UK workers deserve more bank holidays, and there is no better place to start.

“Whilst the legacy of Emancipation Day showcases the reluctance of the colonial state against the bravery of committed activists, it is all the more vital we highlight this chapter of our collective past because present day injustices are inseparable from the historical origins of racism, imperialism and oppression.

“The story of Emancipation is of a mass movement struggling against the intransigence of vested interests, as slaveholders were compensated with today’s equivalent of £17 billion, which was not paid off by the British public until 2015, whilst freed slaves were continually exploited and made to work as unpaid apprentices. Emancipation Day should receive the national commemoration that it deserves.”

A selection of groups in Leicester are also eager to celebrate. The Urban Equestrian Academy have teamed up with EDUK8GLOBAL to host an eight-mile historical family walk and hack on the day.

Walkers will assemble at Nelson Mandela Park at 9.30am, and shortly after a coach will carry walkers to Rothley Court Hotel in Loughborough. The day will be packed with activities such as speeches and face painting, and breakfast will also be provided free of charge.

Founder of the Urban Equestrian Academy, Freedom Zampaladus said: “Many people particularly residents in Leicester and Leicestershire are unfamiliar with the history of Rothley Court which is where we will be hosting our event. It’s famous for being the birth place of the Knights Templers or the ‘Freemasons’ and secondly its ties to the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.

“Rothley is the birthplace of Thomas Babington who was an abolitionist and right hand man to William Wilberforce. They were amongst those who spearheaded the anti-slave trade movement.

“Right here on our doorstep, we have one of the most important pieces of history, and it’s not even discussed. I believe its important to celebrate Emancipation Day, specifically in Leicester because if history such as the one I explained before was to become more mainstream, then it would actually help bring communities together – these are prominent white people that should be credited as anti-racist.

Claudia Webbe MP is the member of Parliament for Leicester East. You can follow her at www.facebook.com/claudiaforLE and twitter.com/ClaudiaWebbe