On the 25th March 1807 the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act passed into statute and became law. To commemorate and celebrate this historic milestone, Sunday 25th March 2007 has been designated ‘Freedom Day’ (Stop The Traffik) and ‘Amazing Grace Sunday’ (World Evangelical Alliance). St.Mark’s Church is a member of the ‘Stop The Traffik’ coalition.
Here are some suggested ways of getting involved, and resources for learning more about the history of slavery particularly in the British Empire and the United States of America, the UK abolition of the slave trade, and the continuing scandal of slavery and people-trafficking - the third largest (and fastest growing) worldwide source of income for organised crime exceeded only by arms and drugs trafficking. Twenty-seven million women, children and men are still enslaved.
Worship at St.Mark’s in the evening service at 6.30pm on Sunday 11th March when Revd Joel Edwards, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance is our visiting speaker.
Walk in the ‘Walk of Witness’ on Saturday 24th March - a party from St.Mark’s will join others starting from Holy Trinity Church, Clapham (William Wilberforce’s own church) meeting at 12:30pm for allocation of tickets, with an act of worship at 1pm and walk commencing 1:15pm. This party will meet the main body (led by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, coming from Whitehall Place) for an act of worship in Kennington Park (close to the Oval cricket ground) beginning around 2.15 pm.
Its three themes are Remembrance, Repentance and Restoration building on the apology for the role of the Church in the slave trade, offered to heirs of the enslaved by the General Synod (of which our vicar Revd Paul Perkin is a member) in February 2006.
It is a ‘walk’ – a reminder that those millions taken into slavery had to walk to the coast of Africa. The closing worship at Kennington Park will be an opportunity to re-commit to truly live by the values of the gospel - loving and respecting each another as human beings made in the image of God.
Sign the ‘Stop The Traffik’ online declaration adding your voice to the global petition to be presented to the UN and member governments after ‘Freedom Day’ 25th March: http://www.stopthetraffik.org/help/declaration.aspx
Fundraise by buying and selling onwards ‘Freedom Keys’: http://www.stopthetraffik.org/help/freedomkey.aspx
Eat ‘Traffik-free’ chocolate with the guarantee of no involvement by trafficked people in the harvesting of the cocoa beans: http://www.stopthetraffik.org/chocolateDownloads/chocolate_guide.pdf
Drink fairly-traded coffee at home and out. (Natural Café at 142 Northcote Road SW11 (8am – 6pm) only serve fairly-traded (and organic) produce).
Listen to the ‘Wilberforce Address 2007’ to the Conservative Christian Fellowship commemorating the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade with speakers:
Rt Rev Dr James Jones - Bishop of Liverpool
Rt Hon David Cameron MP – Leader of the Conservative Party
Pastor Agu Irukwu - Senior Pastor of Jesus House for All Nations in Brent Cross
Bishop Wayne Malcolm - Senior Pastor & Bishop of Christian Life City in Walthamstow
Rev Katei Kirby – General Manager of the African and Caribbean Evangelical Alliance (ACEA)
Choral performance by ‘The Tribe of Judah’ gospel choir
Tuesday 20th March 7-9pm at The Emmanuel Centre, 9-23 Marsham Street, London
SW1
Admission £8 (£5 concessions) only by booking in advance: www.ccfwebsite.com
or email: mail@ccfwebsite.com or tel:
020 7984 8305
Hear Radio 4’s ‘In Our Time’ special edition on William Wilberforce from 22nd February at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/inourtime/
See the films
‘Amazing Grace’ - release date 23rd March (website below)
‘Amistad’ (1997 dir.Steven Spielberg) downloadable study guide at:
http://www.filmeducation.org/filmlib/a.html
‘Glory’ DVD 2000 downloadable study guide at: http://www.filmeducation.org/filmlib/g.html
Read
Abolition – The Struggle to Abolish Slavery in the British Colonies
by Richard Reddie ISBN 978-0-7459-5229-1
Amazing Grace – John Newton, Slavery and the World’s Most Enduring
Song by Steve Turner ISBN 978-0-7459-5178-2
Character Counts: Leadership Qualities in Washington, Wilberforce, Lincoln,
and Solzhenitsyn ed.Os Guinness ISBN 0801058244
Equiano, the African: Biography of a Self-Made Man by Vincent Carretta ISBN
978-0820325712
The Interesting Narrative and Other Writings by Olaudah Equiano ISBN 978-0142437162
Vital Christianity – The Life and Spirituality of William Wilberforce
by Andrew Murray Pura ISBN 978-185792-916-4
Voices Against Slavery – Ten Christians who Spoke out for Freedom by Catherine
House ISBN 978-184550-145-7
William Wilberforce a Biography by Stephen Tomkins ISBN 978-0-7459-5232-1
William Wilberforce: The Freedom Fighter by Derick Bingham ISBN 978-185792-371-1
(great for kids!)
Websites – a selection for more background on the history and current situation worldwide, and how to get involved:
The Amazing Change
‘Amazing Grace’ –
the film/movie
Amazing Grace Resource (WEA)
Amazing Grace Sunday
Amistad slaves &
Lewis Tappan
Anti-Slavery International
CHASTE (Churches Alert to Sex Trafficking
Across Europe)
Child Voice International
Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking
(CAST)
Compassion UK – child sponsoring
DCMS
(Dept. for Media Culture & Sport)
DfES (Dept for Education &
Skills) ‘Understanding Slavery’
End Child Exploitation UNICEF
campaign
Free The Slaves
Gilder
Lehrman Institute online exhibition
International Justice Mission
Justice For Children International
Abraham Lincoln
& Slavery
Liverpool
Museums comprehensive guide to further resources
Merseyside
Maritime Museum – Transatlantic Slavery Gallery
Micah Challenge
National Christian Alliance on Prostitution
(NCAP)
Oasis Trust
Olaudah Equiano Biographies:
B.Carey
Wikipedia
100
Great Black Britons
Royal Navy &
the Slave Trade and Trafficking
Sacred History Magazine
Set All Free
Stop The Traffik
Trafficking In Persons
Underground Railroad
(great for kids!)
William Wilberforce Biographies:
B.Carey
Wikipedia
