Have your say on historic sites with links to the trans-Atlantic slave trade

The Black Lives Matter protests during 2020 led to new momentum behind long-standing concerns about statues, memorials and street names with associations with the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. This is a community conversation, together we want to develop proposals on how to deal with this difficult aspect of our history. We would like to hear your views by taking comments on our Commonplace site. The consultation is open from 9 March to 31 May 2022.

Open date: Wednesday, 9 March 2022 at 9.00am Close date: Tuesday, 31 May 2022 at 11.59pm Type: Consultation Neighbourhood: Lambeth wide Category:
  • Streets, roads and transport

Please note this consultation is closed

Thank you to all who joined us on Tuesday, 8 March for the second phase of our community conversation into local historic sites with proven links to the trans-Atlantic slave trade. These sites include statues, monuments, and street names across the borough.  

We now want to hear your views on the small number of locations across the borough with proven links to the slave trade. To gather your views we've launched a dedicated website (Commonplace) which details where the sites are located and what their links are to the slave trade. Your views will help us to decide the future of these sites and future sites. 

Background

In Autumn 2020, Cllr Sonia Winifred was proud to host the first event into this important work, which featured Deputy Mayor of London Debbie Weeks-Bernard and more than 1,000 local groups, residents, and national organisations to join in on the community discussion. Following this event, Lambeth Archives carried out extensive research and located a small number of sites in Lambeth with links to the slave trade. At the second meeting held earlier this month we shared where the sites are, what their links are to the slave trade, and it was an opportunity for attendees to share their views and ask questions.

Why we're having this important conversation 

The review of statues, memorials and place names was announced in October 2020, following the appalling killing of George Floyd in the USA and the mobilisation of the 2020 Black Lives Matter campaign. As a proudly diverse borough which has previously taken a lead on commemorating Black leaders in the late 20th century, we have committed to reviewing existing troubling or historic links and assess whether we can legally suggest new names or commemorations to mark the lives and contributions to key people who have made Lambeth the place we know today. 

How to respond

Please share your view on our Commonplace site which details where the sites are located and what their links are to the slave trade. Your views will help us to decide the future of these sites and future sites. 

Commonplace site