During 2007, Britain is commemorating the bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act. As a key trading port, Bristol saw many ships leave for Africa and return having exchanged African lives for desirable goods such as coffee and sugar. The legacy of that era is all around the city, as buildings such as the Colston Hall bear the names of the merchants who grew rich from owning slave ships. 
On Friday 2nd March, Year 9 students from Sheldon visited the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum in Bristol as an extension of their history studies on the slave trade. The focus of the visit was to examine its legacy in Bristol and how it shaped the city’s multi-cultural future.
A tour of the museum’s galleries took in artefacts such as shackles and neck rings, which provoked strong responses from the students about the treatment of human cargo. Also shocking was the number of account books from Bristol’s slave ship owners detailing the profits made from each voyage. This evidence stimulated debate about whether Bristol should apologise for its part in slavery. Most students agreed that the city’s current citizens should not be held responsible for the events of the past.
The visit continued with a workshop on post-war immigration to Bristol. Students were let loose on the museum’s radio studio to record the stories of individuals who moved to Bristol from former British colonies after World War Two. 
Follow the links below to hear how students captured the excitement and apprehension of the people who moved here.
Overall, it was an important visit in this ‘Abolition 200’ year. Whilst we celebrated the ending of the slave trade, we also reflected on attitudes to race and immigration in today’s multi-cultural Britain.