Walk marks slave trade anniversary

12 April 2012

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have lead hundreds of people on a walk to mark the bicentenary of Britain's abolition of the slave trade.

Dr Rowan Williams and Dr John Sentamu headed a procession, including foreign dignitaries and leaders of other churches, on the Walk of Witness through London.

The event follows the Church of England's apology for its role in the slave trade, which the General Synod debated in February last year.

Dr Williams and Dr Sentamu are asking people to reflect on the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade.

They hope the 200th anniversary of the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade on Sunday will prompt people to tackle the trade's legacies, including examples of human trafficking and oppression across the globe.

Dr Williams said: "This important anniversary, when we recall both the shameful history of the slave trade and its modern legacies, presents us with an opportunity to open up that past to the healing power of Christ."

Dr Sentamu added: "We need to rediscover a new faith-based movement for social and economic justice, which has hope - rather than anger - at its core.

"I believe that movement is the Church and it is my hope that, as we commemorate the achievements of the abolitionists over the coming months, we might also re-dedicate ourselves to being that change which we want to see in the world."

The walk included the culmination of the March of the Abolitionists - a group of walkers who have worn yokes and chains during a 250-mile journey beginning in Hull.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in