Abolitionists in Leeds

Join us for a special event taking place as part of the University's Black History Month series.

A commemoration of nineteenth-century abolitionism in Leeds, focusing on Quaker activists Mary and Wilson Armistead and African Americans including Henry ‘Box’ Brown, William Wells Brown, Ellen and William Craft, Frederick Douglass, Sarah Parker Remond and Moses Roper.

This event is in two parts:
Part One: Black History Walk led by Joe Williams of Heritage Corner. This includes a stop at Lyddon Hall, a student residence on the University campus that was once the home of Mary and Wilson Armistead, librarian and president of the Leeds Anti-Slavery Association. 
Timing: 1 October between 2.00-3.30pm, beginning at the Parkinson Building on the University campus and concluding at Lyddon Hall. Places for the walk are limited, with a maximum of 27 tickets available - Book your place 

Part Two: Blue plaque unveiling and lecture The second part of the event takes place in the Workshop Theatre between 5.00-6.30pm on 1 October. It includes the formal unveiling of a new blue plaque to commemorate the importance of abolitionist activism in nineteenth-century Leeds and a guest lecture. 
Timing: Doors will open at 4.45pm.
•    From 5:00pm Introductions from: Dr Kendi Guantai, Dean for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, a representative of the Leeds Civic Trust, and Professor Bridget Bennett (School of English).
•    The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Abigail Marshall Katung will unveil the plaque.
•    Professor Richard Blackett (Vanderbilt University) will give a public lecture drawing on his extensive work on antislavery and abolition. 
•    The Workshop Theatre event will be followed by a wine reception in the School of English.
Tickets for the unveiling event are free but need to be booked in advance here 

Please note: each part of the event needs to be booked separately; there is no joint ticket for both parts.

The unveiling is a hybrid event that will be livestreamed on Teams. The event can be viewed remotely using this link 

This event will also be screened in the Alumni room in the School of English for participants who would like to watch online with others. 

The blue plaque itself will be installed on Lyddon Hall at a later date.

Image: The image above shows Ellen Craft wearing the disguise in which she escaped from slavery in 1848. This illustration is the frontispiece to William and Ellen Craft, Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom; Or, The Escape of William and Ellen Craft from Slavery (London, 1860).