International Slavery Remembrance Day Marked in Perivale

Ex-Chelsea footballer Paul Canoville addresses gathering


Mayor of Ealing, Cllr Munir Ahmed, with Debbi Allen

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Last Sunday afternoon (22 August) in the Lower Thrifts Park, Perivale an event was held to commemorate International Slavery Remembrance Day.

More than 50 people attended the remembrance which was also streamed on line and was organised by West London Stand Up To Racism, with the support of Black Lives Matter.

The gathering was addressed by Paul Canoville, famous ex-footballer and in whose honour the Chelsea Football Club recently named part of Stamford Bridge after him as he is their first black player. Paul talked about the racism he had suffered while being a professional footballer and talked about many black footballers still suffering racism resulting in mental health problems.

The Mayor of Ealing, Cllr Munir Ahmed and Cllr Aysha Raza the Cabinet Member responsible for equalities, also addressed the audience and a message of support from the local MP, James Murray was read out by Cllr Charan Sharma. The other speakers were, Moyra Samuels, activist for Justice for Grenfell, Anthony Brown, from Windrush campaign, Ann-Marie Cousins and Lola Oyewusi, councillors in Greenwich and Lewisham, respectively, as well as Raj Gill, vice chair of Ealing Trades Council.

The day has been designated by the United Nations for the remembrance of the trans-Atlantic slavery and its abolition. That date chosen is significant because it relates to the night of the 22 August, 1791, when half a million enslaved black people in St Dominique (now called Haiti) rose up against French plantation owners and defeated them in a battle after which they declared end to slavery and set up the first independent black state in the Caribbean.

Balwinder Rana, co-convenor of the West London Stand Up To Racism talked about the history of the Haitian Revolution and said, ‘The slaves, under the leadership of Toussaint Louverture, fought battles for twelve more years. First against the French, then the British and then the Spanish, who all had tried to invade the island, but, turn by turn, they were all defeated.’

The other co-convenor, Debbie Allen, said, ‘My family came from the West Indies and I want to welcome all here as we have gathered to honour and remember our ancestors who, against all odds, fought for their freedom. We are very proud of them but our battles against racism are not yet over. We want to unite all communities to end the scrouge of racism, once and for all. This starts by understanding each other and understanding history.’

Musical artist, Scratchylus, enchanted the audience and children from Queenies community project performed dance routines. The Sangoma Drummers (South African Djembe Healing Drums), a mixed group of about twenty drummers, were credited with creating a good atmosphere at the event with their routines.

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August 26, 2021

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