Black Voices and Absences in the Commemorations of Abolition in North East England

Abstract

This article explores, from a personal perspective, the motivations behind the organisational events to mark the bicentenary of the abolition of transatlantic slave trade in relation to the author's own personal research in order to aid her creative endeavours. The focus is the ‘black’ presence, the people from Africa and the Caribbean who came to the North East, settling or just passing through, who have been hidden within the North East history. These individuals contributed to the North East way of life in some way or other. The article argues that these people should be remembered through inclusion in the local history taught in schools.