Global Efforts Target Legacy of Transatlantic Slave Trade

Governments and institutions across Britain and the United States are implementing new measures to address the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism. In Scotland, the Glasgow City Council is installing explanatory material alongside 11 statues in George Square to detail their connections to enslavement.

In London, officials are preparing for the 2027 unveiling of a memorial called The Wake. Simultaneously, Black British-Caribbean artist Rayvenn Shaleigha D’Clark is creating iron entrance panels for the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool to reclaim materials historically used to confine enslaved Africans.

Beyond memorials, political pressure for systemic accountability is increasing. The government of Jamaica is petitioning King Charles for reparatory justice regarding the forced transportation of Africans. In the United States, California has passed the Truth in Disclosure Act, which mandates that corporations with annual revenues exceeding $100 million disclose whether they historically profited from enslavement.