Twelve steps to being
an ‘Heir of Slavery’
Many people have been in touch with us, intrigued, appalled and sometimes alarmed by the knowledge that, through their ancestors, they are connected to the history of transatlantic slavery. Here is our advice for everyone starting out on this journey of discovery.
Weigh your emotional response. It’s natural to feel horror at your ancestors’ involvement in transatlantic slavery, but it does not follow that you should feel guilt for their actions. Once you recognise that family shame and family pride are flip sides of the same coin, and have managed to dispense with both, you should be able to approach your ‘inheritance’ with greater equanimity.
Research your family history, especially the unpalatable parts. Don’t recoil from the ugly truth – on the contrary, lean into it. So much tension that persists to this day derives from white people’s longstanding reluctance to engage with the history of slavery, and from their denial of its continuing consequences. You might choose to do the research yourself – for British people, the UCL Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery database is a good place to start, as is the National Archives at Kew – but it’s also possible to employ a researcher. We can advise.
Read up on the history of empire. You will find some book recommendations here. Armed with this knowledge, you will be better equipped to hold calm, constructive, informed conversations on this most emotive of subjects – bearing in mind that some people, deeply entrenched in their misconceptions and prejudices, will need polite, but firm, correction. Try discussing this history with friends or neighbours who have African and Caribbean heritage: you may find they are keen to engage on this, and with less embarrassment than you.
Acquaint yourself with the language of reparative justice, and practise using it. Discussions around the legacies of slavery can feel almost unbearably awkward – but the more natural it feels to discuss this painful history, the sooner it can be repaired. Remember that this is a challenging subject for everyone.
Consider the consequences of this tragic history. Educate yourself about the continuing impact of transatlantic slavery on the descendants of the enslaved, both in the Americas and in diaspora communities. Study CARICOM’S Ten Point Plan for Reparatory Justice for a deeper understanding of how reparations might work. We can introduce you to people in the Caribbean and in the UK who are actively involved in discussions about various forms of reparative justice, and who will welcome your interest. In our experience, hostility is rare – honesty opens doors and minds.
Contemplate publicly recognising your ancestors’ role, starting by acknowledging the historical link. Consider making an apology, if this step feels appropriate for you and your family. Contacting the reparations committee members from the country where your ancestors were active is a good start – this information is easily found online. Don’t be afraid of raising this subject – this is a conversation that people in the Caribbean and in the UK will welcome.
By all means think about making donations, or volunteering, or even setting up a charity, to benefit descendants of enslaved people, both in the UK and the Caribbean. (You’ll find the details of some organisations which our members support here.) However, even if they make you feel better – and there’s nothing wrong with that – do not make the mistake of thinking that charitable activities might ever be a substitute for reparative justice, or for addressing the root causes of systemic inequities.
Consider a trip to the Caribbean or, indeed, West Africa, if that’s where your family’s connection was. Visiting plantations owned by your ancestors is a potentially life-changing way to learn about them, and the present-day consequences of their activities. Conversations with local people there can be hugely rewarding, too. Even if you don’t know precisely where your ancestors were, the Caribbean is historically fascinating, with the past and present in constant dialogue.
Think about creative ways of engaging with your family history. If you’re an artist, writer or photographer, perhaps you might find a way to collaborate with someone on the other side of the racial divide. Bear in mind that emotional honesty and sensitivity are prerequisites. Take great care to understand your privilege and to respect boundaries – most obviously, never tell a story that isn’t yours to tell.
If you possess correspondence or other papers relating to your ancestors’ activities in the Caribbean, consider putting them into a public archive, either digitally or physically. These primary source materials are likely to be of great interest to historians, as well as, potentially, to the descendants of those who may have been enslaved by your ancestors. We have links with historians and universities who will have ideas about how you might share your family papers.
Remember, there’s no ‘right’ way to approach this history. Some ‘heirs’ will be individuals whose ancestors played a high-profile, hands-on role in the businesses of enslavement; other ‘heirs’ will have ancestors whose involvement was more discreet and arm’s-length. (Vast fortunes were made by financiers, shipbuilders, textile manufacturers, and many more who never went near the Caribbean.) Some ‘heirs’ will have known about their family’s unsavoury past from childhood, while others may have learnt about it suddenly, much later in life. It’s always a complex legacy to process, and your response should be dictated by your conscience, and by what feels right for you.
Approach your ‘inheritance’ with humility. You are far from alone – there must be hundreds of thousands of British people, at least, whose ancestors participated in the many industries dependent on slavery. (Bearing in mind that every single one of us has several hundred male ancestors who were economically active during the eighteenth century.) There are more, still, in the United States, France, Spain, Portugal, Denmark and other European countries. By positively engaging with this history, you are helping to encourage more people in a similar position – with luck, many more people – to do so. We hope that you will find (as we have) that it is one of the most rewarding, as well as humbling, paths you could possibly choose to take.