A plea amidst the shouting and turmoil

MJR exposes a root cause of violent crime in the capital.

The publicity surrounding the rising incidences of knife crime on the streets of London, which has brought about the tragic deaths of 50 (mostly young) people since the start of the year, has led to much questioning and heart-searching about causes.

The Movement for Justice and Reconciliation (MJR) believes that these are rooted in the legacies of the past. In 2019 MJR will be sailing a replica slave-ship around the UK to bring this legacy to the attention of the public.

Unacknowledged Injustice

While not condoning or excusing knife crimes, MJR wants the general public to be aware that these events are not isolated, and that they cannot be simply explained away as ‘criminality’. For them to be dealt with, they and their mostly young perpetrators need to be understood: and that means looking into context.

We believe this context includes issues of historic cultural legacy, where particular pre-dispositions or mind-sets have been passed down through the generations unseen.

Chair of MJR, Rev Alton Bell, said: “An increasing body of academic research is showing that certain negative behavioural symptoms manifesting in modern society can be traced back in our history to the twin oppressions of colonial slavery and industrial exploitation. These symptoms can include violence such as is being currently witnessed on our streets.”

In 2019 MJR will be sailing a replica slave-ship around the UK to bring the legacy of slavery to the attention of the public.

Wide-Reaching Implications

For those of our communities descended from slaves these legacy issues can include personal problems with identity and belonging but, importantly, the legacy problem is also far more wide-reaching, even systemic.

The racist attitudes – structural, organisational and personal – with which our wider society struggles, and which result in black people being far more likely to be poor or in the prison system, can also be shown to be part of this legacy. The fact that it remains largely unacknowledged, let alone addressed, is a massive injustice.

MJR trustee Paul Keeble said: “Our historical amnesia about the exploitation of African slaves that helped make this country rich, has been an attempt to sweep an injustice under the carpet, but it has just left a huge lump that we keep tripping over as a society. Until we admit it is there and seek to address it, these legacy-related tragedies will continue. We cannot simply ‘move on’.”

Raising Public Awareness

In an attempt to bring the issues of legacy to wider public attention, in the summer of 2019 MJR will be sailing a replica slave-ship, called the ‘Zong’, to a number of key ports with associations with the slave trade.

Through on-board and dockside exhibitions, MJR will seek to inform people about the brutality of slavery and the human cost of the Industrial Revolution that has benefitted us all.

Notes

1. The Movement for Justice and Reconciliation is a registered charity, no. 1161441. More information on the MJR website, or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
   
2. The original ‘Zong’ was infamous for the owners claiming on their insurance for the loss of ‘property’ after 133 slaves were thrown overboard when the ship had apparently got into difficulties.
   
3. The 2019 Zong tour schedule is currently being finalised and is subject to confirmation of funding. Ports of call being prepared include Plymouth, Scilly Isles, Bristol, Ilfracombe, Liverpool, Manchester, Whitehaven, Lancaster.

Report: The MJR Launch, 23 September 2015

Last Wednesday's launch of MJR, held at St Mark's Church Kennington, attracted cross-party support and was well received by community leaders and academics alike.

MJR is seeking to bring to public attention a long neglected issue that is still having an impact on society today. The extent to which Britain was involved in colonial slavery and industrial exploitation has largely been airbrushed out of our history books; and the legacy of this involvement has never been fully acknowledged. The Movement for Justice and Reconciliation aims to define the exact nature of this legacy and seek ways to address the resultant issues identified.

At the launch, MJR Trustees outlined the way in which this forgotten part of Britain's history has influenced many areas of today's society. Responses were made by Karen Bradley MP (Home Office Minister for Preventing Abuse and Exploitation); Stephen Timms MP (Shadow Cabinet Minister for Work and Pensions); and Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali (see right, centre), President of OXTRAD (The Oxford Centre for Training, Research, Advocacy and Dialogue).

The launch was described as "a wonderful start on the road to raising public awareness of the legacy of slavery". The 'Case for Legacy' will be presented to a cross-party group in Parliament in November. Further projects, research and events are planned for 2016.

More details of the work of MJR can be found on www.mjr-uk.com.