Mayor Announces Network of Community Memorials for Transatlantic Slavery Across London

Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced that ten community organisations across nine London boroughs will each receive a grant of up to £10,000, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, to research and develop local memorials marking the impact of transatlantic slavery. The announcement was made during Black History Month. The projects form a network connected to The Wake — London's first major public memorial to victims of transatlantic slavery. The Wake is a nearly seven-metre-high bronze cowrie shell sculpture by artist Khaleb Brooks, sited at West India Quay in the Docklands, which has recently been awarded planning permission. Funded projects include a touring exhibition in Camden exploring the lives of those who struggled for liberty and freedom, a community-led research initiative in Waltham Forest mapping the borough's historical ties to the slave trade, and five guided walking tours in the City of London uncovering overlooked Black histories of the Square Mile. Khan said that London's role in transatlantic slavery had for too long not been fully acknowledged, and that the projects would help future generations understand the history that shaped the capital.