GR OUND FL OO R Gl obal Ci ty Li verpool’ s Earl y Bl ack C omm uni ty Com puter touch s cr een - s el ec t Afri can Conn ec ti on s th en Li verpool’ s e arl y Bl ack C omm uni ty Li verpool Bl ack Some Black f amilies can tr ac e their Liv erpool hist ory back o ver 200 y ears. Imagine the 1 8th c en tury port, Comm uni ty tr ail home t o the childr en o f A frican rulers, fr eed ensla ved Africans and Black v eter ans o f the American W ar o f The Liv erpool Black c ommunity is the oldest in Independenc e. La ter , in the 19th c en tury W est Eur ope. In the 1750s Black se ttlers included sailors, African seaf ar ers w orking on Elder Dempst er Line fr eed sla ves and studen t sons o f A frican rulers. ships se ttled in the city , enabling the alr eady Despit e challenges, Black pr esenc e has gr own and established Black popula tion t o gr ow. The old Black con tribut ed t o all aspects o f Liv erpool lif e. community w as near Pitt S tr ee t, close t o the docks. Div erse c ommunities ar e r epr esen ted thr oughout the museum. Fr om time t o time, di er en t communities ma y also f ea tur e in special e xhibitions. Liv erpool Je wish, Blac k*, and Irish C ommunity tr ails ar e curr en tly a vailable. *F or the purposes o f this tr ail, Black refers t o people with A frican heritage. L ook out f or this s ymbol t o help y ou nd the it ems on the tr ail. Th e Tr an satl an ti c Sl ave Tr ade Sl ave b ran din g ir on (r epli ca) an d sugar con e. Objec ts 1 an d 2 in di spl ay c ase Afri can C onn ec ti on s By the 1780s Liv erpool w as c onsider ed the Eur opean Objec ts 1- 7 in di spl ay c ase capital o f the tr ansa tlan tic sla ve tr ade. V ast pr ots helped tr ansf orm Liv erpool in to one o f Britain’s most When the British sla ve tr ade w as abolished in 1 807, importan t and w ealth y cities. palm oil, timber , gr ound nuts and rubber w er e tr aded inst ead. Liv erpool w as a huge imperial port. A frican Liv erpool ships sailed t o W est A frica and e xchanged sailors lik e the Kru, originally fr om Liberia and Sierr a goods f or ensla ved A fricans who w er e brutally Leone, se ttled her e. tr ansport ed acr oss the A tlan tic and sold. The sla ve ships then pick ed up sugar , c ott on and t obac co gr own The it ems on displa y her e all c onnect Liv erpool and on plan ta tions b y ensla ved A fricans and t ook these Africa in di er en t w ays. Some w er e br ough t t o goods back t o Britain. Support ers pr omo ted r acist Liv erpool b y people who se ttled her e. Others w er e attitudes t o justify their brutal tr ade. Their r acist made in A frica and tr aded, or br ough t home b y legacy a ects people in Liv erpool t oda y. Liv erpool mer chan ts. The rst kno wn pictur e o f Black Ensla ved A fricans w ork ed in people in Liv erpool, 1776 Court es y o f Liv erpool R ec or d Oc e, sugar pr oduction Liv erpool libr aries © Na tional Museums Liv erpool GR OUND FL OO R FL OO R O NE Th e Gr eat P ort Ci ty S ol di ers Dock P eo pl e Kin g’ s R egim en t Film – spo rt sec ti on Im age 20, Di ck Ben son , See th e l ar ge scr een abo ve y ou Li verpool C art age C om pan y Kingsman Harrison w as one o f se ver al Black bo xers in the suc cessful bo xing t eam tha t w on se ver al arm y Liv erpool’s Black c ommunity has a str ong seaf aring championships during the early 1980s. Black soldiers tr adition. Whilst some local people f ac ed ha ve serv ed in the King’s R egimen t as long ago as the discrimina tion a t the First W orld W ar . Ho wever , the R egimen t and the docks, o thers, lik e cart er museum ha ve v ery little ma terial t o r eect this and Dick Benson w er e w ell- we ar e activ ely c ollecting objects and st ories respect ed and enjo yed connect ed t o Black Kingsmen. long car eers w orking ther e. Dick Benson and his horse mo ved goods fr om the docks. Image c our tes y o f the Benson Kingsman Harrison, out-bo xing Priv ate Flin ter a t the F amily Arm y In ter Unit Bo xing Championships, 1982. Workin g an d H eal th FL OO R TW O Th e ri gh t t o w ork Th e P eo pl e’ s Li sten t o th e P ain tin g Republi c wi th Cl air e Do ve, MB E Leavin g y our m ark Sel ec t n um ber 4 on Li verpool In the 1980s Clair e Do ve f ac ed Jam es Cl ark e m ed al s, racism in her hun t f or a job. Her r esponse? Clair e certi cate an d co-f ounded the W omen's i pbook. Objec t 3 in Technology and Educa tion di spl ay c ase Cen tr e (WTE C) t o pr ovide Court es y o f Martin Clark e tr aining f or lo w paid and Originally fr om British Guiana unemplo yed w omen. T oda y the c en tr e, no w (no w Guy ana), James Clark e w as a Blackburne House, has helped ar ound 20,000 w omen. champion swimmer and polic e bo xing c oach. He sa ved man y people It f ea tur es in this who w er e dr owning in the pain ting, Merse y and canal. Unemplo ymen t on He also taugh t Merse yside – local childr en campaigning f or the to swim. righ t t o w ork , b y Mick Jones. List en t o her st ory and nd out mor e her e. FL OO R O NE Th e M erseysi de M ap Com puter touch s cr een s Hi story De tec ti ves Li verpool Tr an satl an ti c Sl avery Tr ail - Tim elin e (s ec ti on 1900 t o sel ec t tr ail s i con th en Sl avery an d presen t) R aci al T en si on s Go t o Tr ail Aft er the First W orld W ar ar ound Wher e in Liv erpool w er e ships used in the 5000 Black people liv ed in tr ansa tlan tic sla ve tr ade r epair ed? Which Liv erpool Liv erpool. As servic emen str ee t w as named aft er a c o-f ounder o f the Liv erpool returned home looking f or jobs, Committ ee f or the Abolition o f the Slade T rade? community t ensions gr ew. Rio ts br ok e out and a mob Which importan t building has a friez e with visual attack ed a Black seaf ar ers’ boar ding house. 24 y ear refer enc es t o the “ African T rade” including elephan t old Charles W oo ton w as chased t o Queens Dock and heads, cr oc odiles and Black A frican heads? Disc over mur der ed. No arr ests w er e made. this and much mor e her e. Tim elin e ‘Li verpool 1981’ – an edi ted ver si on o f a lm m ade b y Li verpool lmm ak er Be a Fr eem an in 1984 In 1981 ge tting a job or mo ving outside o f the Liv erpool 8 ar ea w as har d if y ou w er e Black. Black and whit e r esiden ts fough t back against unemplo ymen t, r acism and polic e har assmen t in rio ts in Liv erpool 1 and 8, la ter kno wn as the ‘T oxt eth Rio ts’. Or ganisa tions lik e Merse yside C ommunity R ela tions C ouncil support ed local people. Fin din g a v oice Fin din g a v oice ‘Th e O th er’ (lm) Comm uni ty a cti vi sm Disc over mor e about Liv erpool’s past with this lm An th on y W alk er by Der ek Murr ay and C urtis W att.