Lancaster museums mark Black History Month with focus on mass killing of 130 Africans by crew of British slave ship

They include the ‘Memorial to Zong’ exhibition by artist Lubaina Himid, the first black woman to win the Turner Prize.

The exhibition is a powerful re-interpretation of the history and brutality of the slave trade and remembers the Zong Massacre, the mass killing of 130 enslaved Africans by the crew of a British slave ship.

The Gregson slave-trading syndicate, based in Liverpool, owned the ship and sailed her in the Atlantic slave trade.

As was common business practice, they had taken out insurance on the lives of the enslaved people as cargo.

According to the crew, when the ship ran low on drinking water following navigational mistakes, the crew threw enslaved people overboard into the sea.

Further digital encounters will include historical information on key figures such as the actor Ira Aldridge, who performed in Lancaster in the 19th Century, and conversations with the likes of Kevin Dalton-Johnson, the creator of the ‘Captured Africans’ memorial sculpture on St George’s Quay.

Councillor Jean Parr, Cabinet member with responsibility for arts and culture, will also be hosting a virtual meeting on Tuesday October 6 at 6pm to celebrate black history.

The meeting, which will take place via Microsoft Teams, will feature speakers including Rebecca Novell and Geraldine Onek, talking about their work with the local Black History Group, Carolyn Dalton, Museums Development Manager, discussing black history relating to the artefacts in the museums, and Professor Vanessa Toulmin, chair of the Morecambe Winter Gardens Preservation Trust, speaking about BAME artists and entertainers who worked locally.

To register an interest in taking part visit Lancaster.gov.uk/bhm.

Councillor Parr said: “We are proud to support Black History Month. While we are sadly unable to bring people together in our wonderful museums, we have a great programme of online experiences for people of all ages to learn more about black history and culture."

The campaign is designed to not only inform, but also to encourage the public to participate.

The museum is asking people to help build a collection for the future, through the sharing of items such as banners from Black Lives Matter protests, photos, stories from within families, diary entries and other items that can help connect to the city’s Black history.

Keep up with the ‘digital encounters’ campaign via the Facebook pages @LancasterMaritimeMuseum and @LancasterCityMuseum.