Events

Our Cambridge-based programme includes lectures, workshops, exhibitions, and community activities that explore the University’s historical links to slavery and colonialism and encourage dialogue on their ongoing impact.

Upcoming events

Black Town and Gown: film screening and discussion 
9 July | 1:00pm to 3:00pm | Fitzwilliam Museum 

This screening of Black Town and Gown explores the historical legacy of Black presence in Cambridge, featuring personal stories from scholars and local residents. The film will be followed by a discussion with community participants and producers Dr Kenny Monrose and Seetha Tan. 

Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme webinars for prospective applicants
Various dates in July–September | Online

Prospective applicants are invited to join a series of webinars about the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme and the application process. The programme provides fully funded master's scholarships for students from Africa at the University of Cambridge.

Members of the Legacies of Enslavement Network also organise events that align with our shared aims in locations beyond Cambridge. These activities provide opportunities to engage with research and dialogue on slavery, colonialism, and their legacies across the UK and internationally. Please check this page regularly as we add new events throughout the year.

Please note that responsibility for organisation and content rests with the hosting institution or group.
 
Unnecessary Sleep: Opium, the Trial of Ann, and the Therapeutic Dilemma of Slavery
7 July | 5:30pm | University of Liverpool

Professor Keith Wailoo (Princeton University) explores the intersections of medicine, law and slavery through the case of an enslaved girl accused of using opium to kill her enslaver's infant in 1850 Tennessee.

I saw three ships go sailing by: the life of Phillis Wheatley in three maritime journeys
21 July | 5:15pm to 6.30pm | Online 

Playwright and academic Ade Solanke explores the life of Phillis Wheatley, who was enslaved as a child and became the first person of African descent to publish a book of poetry in English.

John Akomfrah: Listening All Night To The Rain
Until 31 August 2026 | Walker Art Gallery, William Brown St, Liverpool, L3 8EL

A series of immersive video installations exploring migration, memory, colonialism, racial injustice and climate change through newly filmed and archival material.

David Önaç: Atlantic Requiem 
11 October | 4:00pm | London Symphony Orchestra 

A new Requiem Mass by David Önaç commemorating the lives of Africans trafficked into slavery. The work draws on research by Johns Hopkins University into the historic involvement of Lloyd’s of London in providing insurance for ships involved in the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans – along with liturgical ritual, biblical texts and documents from the Lloyd’s archives. 

Not Sweet As You Think
Until 15 October 2026 | London Museum Docklands

This intervention in the London, Sugar & Slavery gallery features new object labels encouraging visitors to engage more critically with the histories of sugar, slavery and empire.

Black Heritage Voices 2026 
5 November | 10:00am to 7:00pm | Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage, Leicester  

This conference brings together professionals across the heritage sector to explore creole identities, hidden histories, and the afterlives of empire. 

This section provides details of previous events, along with resources such as recordings, blogs, papers and further information where available. 

Legacies of Enslavement and contemporary violence in Liberia and Haiti - 10 June 2026
A seminar exploring how the legacies of enslavement and colonialism continue to shape contemporary violence in Liberia and Haiti.

The First Crossing: historical silences and the transition from slavery to indentureship - 8 June 2026
Dr Mark Tumbridge explored one of the earliest accounts of Indian indentured migration to the Caribbean and the historical questions it raises.

“That's history. That's truth”: T’tc~tsa and the enslavement of California Native Americans - 4 June 2026
Professor Jean Pfaelzer examined the often-overlooked enslavement of California Native Americans and its enduring legacies.

Celebrating Black Minds: Opening event at the Fitzwilliam Museum - 29 January 2026
The launch of the Celebrating Black Minds programme, marking the start of a year-long series celebrating the intellectual, cultural and civic contributions of Black scholars at Cambridge.

Book launch & discussion: The University of Cambridge in the Age of Atlantic Slavery - 18 November 2025
A discussion marking the publication of Dr Nicolas Bell-Romero's book on Cambridge's connections to Atlantic slavery and the research behind it.

Simón Bolívar Seminar: Manoel Joaquim Ricardo, A successful Hausa freedman in Bahia - 13 October 2025
Professor João José Reis explored the life of Manoel Joaquim Ricardo and wider histories of slavery, freedom and the African diaspora in nineteenth-century Brazil.

Searching for My Slave Roots: A conversation with author Malik Al Nasir - 9 October 2025
A Black History Month conversation with author Malik Al Nasir exploring family history, enslavement and his new book Searching for My Slave Roots.