The Office
A conversation with Sue Smith and Bridget Walker on the legacy of slavery
Friday 19 March 19:00 for 19:15
The Black Lives Matter movement in America and Britain has given us pause for thought on racism, and uncovered inconvenient truths about our past British colonial history that make us feel uncomfortable. It has revealed the involvement of British Quakers in the slave trade as well as their role in the movement for abolition. Does this mean that we should apologise? How would we make such an apology meaningful?
Bridget Walker and Sue Smith will have a conversation to open up a space for us to consider whether the legacy of slavery matters to Quakers now. What are the stories we hold dear about the role of Quakers in the movement for the abolition of slavery? What are the facts about Quaker involvement with slavery that we need to know if we are committed to the Truth? How can we act for greater Equality, if our discomfort tells us that it does matter?
Bridget and Sue’s conversation will be a question and answer format – to dig among the complexity of facts and consider which ones matter,
and why.
Then we will move into pair or small-group discussion to explore:
- Are these facts new to you?
- If yes, how do you feel about them?
- How do we move on from acknowledgement, to some sort of action in support the BLM movement, and anti-racist efforts?
This meeting will be held in the ‘afterword’ zoom room:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89355942467?pwd=MHZEZmF3UWVwVGtqRnFuMDlqdmwrdz09
Meeting ID: 893 5594 2467. Passcode: oxford
If you are dialling in on the phone,
the passcode is 476863
+44 203 481 5240 United Kingdom
+44 203 901 7895 United Kingdom
Back to March 2021 e-Newsletter Main Page
Forty-Three e-Newsletter • Number 503 • March 2021
Oxford Friends Meeting
43 St Giles, Oxford OX1 3LW
newsletter@oxfordquakers.org