Monday 23 August is International Slavery Remembrance Day, when the United Nations invites organisations worldwide to hold events addressing the causes, methods and consequences of Trans-Atlantic slavery.
In Dorset, members of Stand Up to Racism gathered at the gates of Charborough Park, ancestral manor of Richard Drax, MP for South Dorset. Lynne Hubbard, joint chair of Stand Up To Racism Dorset, explains the importance of Charborough in the history of slavery: “The Drax family was a pioneer in launching slavery in the Caribbean. The Charborough Park we see today was established on the proceeds of slavery – and Richard Drax MP still owns Drax Hall Estate, a large sugar plantation in Barbados which was cultivated for centuries by slave labour.
“Part of remembrance is reparation – making amends for wrongs, injuries and loss. On Slavery Remembrance Day we ask Richard Drax to recognise the significance of Drax Hall Estate. We ask him to hear the call for reparations justice from the Caribbean and to pass ownership of Drax Hall to the people of Barbados for the benefit of the local community.”
Grafton Straker, also joint chair of Stand Up to Racism Dorset, is a constituent of Richard Drax. He says: “I was born and raised in Barbados and now I’ve lived for many years in Dorset. I ask my MP to consider how slavery has affected the Caribbean and how he can make a difference today by passing his Drax Hall Estate to the people of Barbados.”
In July this year hundreds of people from community organisations, trade unions and anti-racist groups in Dorset marched to Charborough Park to say: “It’s time, Mr Drax.”