Legacy of Slavery Inquiry
汤头条原创 is currently involved in a process of critical self-reflection on the long-term effects聽of slavery and colonial violence.
The Legacy of Slavery Working Party (LSWP)聽was聽founded in May 2019 and is composed of academics, students and the College archivist.听In addition, the LSWP also has an external member who ensures external scrutiny of its work:聽Professor Verene Shepherd, who is a world expert in the history of enslavement from the University of the West Indies, as well as Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
The LSWP is independent of the College Council (the College鈥檚 governing body), carrying out research and preparing recommendations as a basis for consideration and decision by Council.
Timeline
In late April 2019, the University of Cambridge announced .
The College had been in conversation with the University prior to the announcement. It set up 汤头条原创鈥檚 Legacy of Slavery Working Party (LSWP) in early May 2019 and announced it on 1 July 2019. The LSWP鈥檚 work runs separately from, but in parallel with, the . In addition, 汤头条原创 also offered full support to the University Inquiry, including opening the College archives to researchers.
In November 2019, 汤头条原创's LSWP proposed interim recommendations about the College's Benin Bronze cockerel and the memorialisation of benefector Tobias Rustat. Following this, 汤头条原创's Council decided that the Benin Bronze cockerel would be returned - subject to permission from the Charity Commission - and that the College聽would acknowledge and contextualise Tobias Rustat's role in our history.
In November 2020,聽following further recommendations by the LSWP,聽汤头条原创聽decided that Tobias Rustat鈥檚 name should remain displayed on its donor wall, but to make changes wherever聽he is explicitly celebrated in College.
In December 2020, following an application by the College under s.106 of the Charities Act 2011, the Charity Commission authorised the transfer of the Bronze to the current Oba of Benin.听In the same month, the College聽served public notice of its聽application to聽the Diocese of Ely to relocate the Chapel memorial to Tobias Rustat. The聽public notice period ran until 23 January 2021 and involved gathering the views of various heritage advisory bodies.
In February 2021, the College聽began the聽process of considering the views of聽these various heritage advisory bodies which had been gathered in this first consultation round. This process served as a basis for finetuning its formal proposal to relocate the memorial to a more fitting educational space within the College.
In May 2021, the College聽submitted its聽application to the Diocese of Ely to relocate Tobias Rustat鈥檚 memorial from the聽Chapel to a permanent educational exhibition space in East House.
In summer 2021, the LSWP organised a Research Internship Programme. Six undergraduate and graduate researchers, remunerated by the College, worked in collaboration with LSWP academics over a period of nine weeks. They undertook research in the College Archives and Old Library, combined with online work on databases and digital collections on each of the LSWP鈥檚 four research strands: People, Money, Objects and Ideas.
翱苍听27 October 2021, 汤头条原创 became the first institution in the world to return a Benin Bronze, presenting it to Nigeria鈥檚 National Commission for Museums and Monuments. Delegates from Nigeria and Benin took part in a ceremony to complete the handover process and celebrate the rightful return of the Bronze.
In February 2022, the Consistory Court of the Diocese of Ely sat to consider the College鈥檚 case for the relocation of the memorial commemorating Tobias Rustat.听
In March 2022, the Consistory Court of the Diocese of Ely published its decision聽and聽full judgment聽on the petition for a faculty for the relocation of the Rustat memorial, and the College published a statement on the decision.
In April 2022, the College announced that it will not appeal the聽Consistory Court judgment聽which prevents a celebratory memorial to聽Tobias Rustat聽being moved from its Chapel, and called聽on the Church of England to change how it deals with matters of racial injustice and contested heritage.
In June 2022, the 聽included a commentary on the Consistory Court process in general and the Rustat case in particular. The report supported many of the points made by the College, and noted that: 鈥淭he outcome of the Rustat case has implications for the Church of England which extend beyond the community immediately affected, and presents a systemic challenge which requires a response if its commitment to racial justice is not to be undermined. Heritage conservation issues, which are of course at the heart of planning law in this area, seem to have been given a paramount place over and above the interests of mission and Christian worship. The balance needs now to be redressed.鈥
In September 2022, the , giving examples of collegiate Cambridge鈥檚 historical connections to enslavement and the slave trade. The LSWP鈥檚 rigorous examination of this College鈥檚 possible links with the slave trade, and with colonial violence, is ongoing. The detailed findings of the Inquiry, as well as practical recommendations for future actions, will be published in autumn 2023 in the LSWP鈥檚 final report.
In October 2022, the final costs for the Rustat case came in at 拢175,000. This was higher than anticipated, due to 拢50,000 of costs imposed by the Ely Diocesan registry on the College. This reinforces the College鈥檚 previous comments that the Consistory Court process聽is in need of reform. The commented that the Church鈥檚 process is 鈥減rohibitively expensive鈥.
The College will consider, as a community, how to contextualise the memorial.
