A group will be walking in Lichfield next weekend to back calls for the government to take action on reparations for slavery.
Lichfield District City of Sanctuary will step out on Saturday (2nd December) to mark the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery.
The walk will also see the group gather beneath a plaque to Francis Barber, a former enslaved man who was a friend to Samuel Johnson.
Nigel Gann, secretary of Lichfield District City of Sanctuary, said that the issue of slavery was still one facing communities around the world.
“It’s time society faced up to the harm that has been done with slavery, by paying back descendants of the slave trade.
“Society is still profiting from slavery – both historical and modern day. Nothing can ever right those wrongs, but we do believe that those with ancestors who were enslaved should be recompensed. It’s time to stop ignoring the harm that was done.”
Nigel Gann, Lichfield District City of Sanctuary
Cllr Ann Hughes, Mayor of Lichfield, will give an opening speech outside the Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum to start the walk at 2pm.
Participants will then head to Cruck House where they will take part in discussions on the topic of slavery and reparations, with the outcomes then included in a petition to be handed in at 10 Downing Street.