Myths, Facts and Feelings?

Myths and Facts
or
Facts and Feelings?
This working title for this book project is a bit problematic.
The idea of myths suggests something that is not ‘true’. Something that is a part of folklore, usually involving supernatural and celestial beings.  The kind of ‘myth’ we are supposed to be dealing with here though is like:
Slaves were kept in [...]

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The Other Guy’s £250k’s worth

A FEW COMMENTS FROM THE OTHER GUY!
DISCLAIMER: Too much of this entry is about finance, and doesn’t take account of human life and dignity neither past nor present. Apologies if it offends. It’s making a point about something which has been reduced to monetary values.

Given how much the Bristol Corporation (now Bristol City Council) and [...]

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Dirty Laundry – Part 3 (Abolition 2007/2008….)

Have been away otherwise would have commented sooner on the £250,000 FOR SLAVERY COMMISSION story!
This is just a quickie response.  More substantial ones to follow.
DISCLAIMER: SOME READERS MAY GET ANGRY ABOUT WHAT YOUR ARE ABOUT TO READ.  THERE ARE TWO PEOPLE WHO WRITE THIS BLOG SO IF YOU KNOW US, PLEASE AIM YOUR ANGER AT [...]

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bristol 2007

As the embers of the 2007 begin to fade into 2008,  our reflections of the year that has been a commemoration of the slave trade abolition are filled with a mix of disappointment and optimism.Bristol, as one English city steeped in and materially enriched on the people-trafficking two centuries ago, has seen itself in the [...]

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Trevor handling reparations?

Rumour has it that Sir Trevor the Younger (i.e.Phillips , not McDonald) has some funds to use for Legacy of the slave trade abolition.

Did this money come from banks? from the corporate sector?
And how much? Was it really for reparations? And what will it be used for?
And does that mean it was in the trillions [...]

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Trevor Phillips in Bristol – Black schools?

  
Sir Trevor Phillips was in Bristol today, at the invitation of Paul Stephenson to look at two of Bristol’s 2007 offerings.
The former Chair of the Commission for Racial Equality, current Chairperson of the new Commission for Equalities and Human Rights came to see the Breaking The Chains exhibition and the British Empire & Commonwealth Museum.
After a [...]

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Something to Celebrate?? contd. – Whitefolk

A POLEMIC

One noticeable thing about this year and the open debate about the suffering of black people, has been the increased irritation of some white-folk.
Mainly because they can’t see why all the attention should be placed on people who, to them, have have only just arrived. Especially if they have similar basic needs too. A [...]

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Representation and Bristol’s approach to acknowledging slavery history

Bristol and the slave trade is a complex web as I feel it’s a heady mixture of the need for acknowledgment and recognition of the impact & legacy / the need to seperate fact from myth and the lack of evidence thereof / and the very human emotional need for healing and the effects on identity.
When [...]

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Political and Economic

The areas of Education, Health & Wellbeing and Cultural Representation as the three areas highlighted as priorities for the 2007 Legacy to lock on  to. These are indeed valid areas in need of attention of African heritage people in this country.
Bristol’s year chose these as some areas to focus on which would be less meaningless than African [...]

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Black Schools

In the debate(12 Nov ‘07, Bristol), the issue of Black schools was raised by Lisa Blackwood. Drawing on evidence that ‘black boys are…you know what’, then why not schools for black boys?
There are such things around and they are proven to make a difference to some African children.  In the light of growing interest in faith schools [...]

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Afrikan Education (Something to Celebrate?…contd.)

Afrikan education was another thing missed on this trip.
As the home of the John Lynch Afrikan Education Project, and with the visits of Ligali to the city, there is always going to be an opportunity for Bristol’s African people to explore an Africentric worldview.
In this world, African people have history. Big history! And soul-healing and liberation will come from [...]

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The 2007 Review goes on…

So on the night in question (12th November 2007, reviewing Abolition 200 in Bristol at the Malcolm X centre, as per previous blog entry), there were some pertinent questions and debate about this year.  There were a few points on education brought by Cllr. John Rogers , Lisa Blackwood, well and everybody really, after a question from Jacky Davis.
This [...]

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Something to celebrate?

This is a good time to start blogging on the Bristol 2007 commeration. It is after Black History Month,  and coming to the end of the the 2007 year.  The Bristol 2007 site has languished for some time due to lack of inspiration and the headache of hosting a site.
Why today to start this? Because yesterday I attended a meeting [...]

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Pondering the year so far…

My reflection of the (so called) abolition year so far, is that I wonder how many sympathetic and unsympathetic people would admit to having ’slave trade fatigue’.
I say that because, even as a (hopefully) conscious proud African who takes very seriously the need for African history to be leant and African stories to be told, [...]

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Hello from Bristol 2007

Check the about page to see why this site is born.
Go back to www.Bristol2007.info to see why that site has died.  Though it remains a place to gather backgrond on why we are here.
Da daahhhh!
That was the fanfare. Consider this launched.

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