Stephen Williams MP to attend Abolition 200 Commemorative Service
March 6, 2007 5:04 PM
Bristol West MP Stephen Williams will join Bristol community representatives at the service at Bristol Cathedral on Sunday 25th March to commemorate the passing of the Act of Parliament in 1807 that abolished the slave trade in the British Empire.
Stephen Williams commented, "This is a key event to mark the passing of a landmark change in the law by Parliament. Everyone knows that some Bristol merchants profited from the slave trade and it is right that this shameful part of the city's past is acknowledged. But other merchants and ordinary citizens also campaigned against slavery. The Act in 1807 can be seen as one of the first examples of a civic campaign leading to a change in the law. It can also be seen as one of Parliament's first Acts in the area of human rights.
Parliament is having its own events and a special exhibition this year and I am inviting all Bristol West schools to come to Parliament so they can see where the law was changed two centuries ago."
Stephen Williams' constituency covers all of the historic area of the city that existed in 1807. It contains the communities of St Pauls and Montpelier where Stephen has been talking to black led community groups since his election in May 2005 on how the city should commemorate the bicentenary.
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