BRITISH LIBRARY LECTURE, TONIGHT: Legacies of the Emancipations of The Americas

TONIGHT'S EVENT (June 14) held at The British Library promises to explore the long-term legacies of the processes of emancipation of enslaved African populations that began in the later 18th century in different parts of the Americas.

As alluded to by the BL, the broad legacies of emancipation throughout the Americas appear consistent: black people by and large occupy inferior positions in socio-economic terms and in terms of the roles they have historically been assigned. The repercussions of this remain evident in the day-to-day American life and history, with events such as hurricane Katrina exposing these cracks of inequality.

Do such important developments such as the election of Barack Obama represent a turning point for black people across the region? Or will they do little to alter legacies entrenched by two centuries marked by the racialised exclusion and marginalisation of people of African ancestry in the post-colonial Americas?

Speakers include Robin Blackburn (Essex University), Richard Drayton (King’s College), Denise Ferreira da Silva (Queen Mary, University of London), and playwright and critic Bonnie Greer.

Cited largely from http://www.bl.uk/whatson/events/event121913.html, where tickets can also be pre-booked. Tickets £7.50 (£5 concessions)

Event will be held at The British Library Conference Centre - Main Auditorium, 96 Euston Road, LONDON, NW1 2DB. Nearest Rail: King’s Cross or Euston