Drawing on new research, Rise Up tells the multifaceted story of the fight to end transatlantic slavery, its aftermath and ongoing legacies. Focussing on the period from 1750 to 1850, it is told through the stories of individuals and communities from across the Caribbean, Europe and the Americas through an interrogation of historic objects and artworks, in conversation with works by contemporary artists.
It highlights the often-forgotten roles played by Black Georgians and Victorians in the British abolition story and in British cultural life, with a focus on Francis Williams, Ignatius Sancho, Olaudah Equiano (aka Gustavus Vassa), Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, Ottobah Cugoano, George Bridgtower, Bill Richmond, Alexander Crummell and Ira Aldridge: all momentum-builders for change and several of whom have untold connections to the University of Cambridge. The vital roles of countless women as resistance leaders, revolutionaries and abolitionists across the Caribbean, Europe and the Americas are commemorated and celebrated including Nanny of the Maroons, Phillis Wheatley, Sanite Bélair, Marie Jeanne Lamartiniére, Mary Prince and Zilpha Elaw.
Over 100 carefully selected historic and contemporary artworks, objects, printed books and manuscripts on loan from Montreal, Ottawa, Puerto Rico, France, and the USA, alongside the University of Cambridge collections, public and private collections in the UK, are brought together to shed new light on the Age of Abolition and the ongoing legacies of enslavement. Despite the passing of almost two centuries since Britain outlawed slavery, for peoples of the global majority the struggles for autonomy, equality and social justice continue today.
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