Two Church of England parishes might be marking Black History Month by celebrating their connection to slavery abolitionist Olaudah Equiano.
Equiano is believed to have been born in around 1745 in what’s now Nigeria. At the age of 11 he and his sister were kidnapped and enslaved. Six months later he was taken aboard a slave ship and transported to the New World.
After a succession of masters Equiano was permitted to work for himself in addition to his master and to purchase his freedom. He later wrote of his travels and life as a slave, becoming the primary African to achieve this.
He also became one in every of the primary abolitionists, although he died 10 years before the formal abolition of slavery.
His life might be honoured by Soham Parish Church in Cambridgeshire, which was where Equiano married his wife, Susannah Cullen, in 1792.
A memorial to the couple’s eldest daughter, Anna Maria Vassa, is situated at St Andrew’s Chesterton, which can even be marking the lifetime of Equiano.
Both churches already hold various events to mark their connection to the abolitionist, particularly through theatre and humanities. St Andrew’s is planning to put in a recent Equiano Family Window within the church.
The Rev Philip Lockley, Vicar of St Andrew’s, said, “The congregation are very happy with these links. The Equiano family story is one in every of liberation, justice, love and mercy.”
Eleanor Whalley, Vicar of the Soham church, said: “Our efforts to advertise Equiano’s story are about ensuring his phenomenal achievements proceed to influence the course of history today, constructing a greater world.”
Among the events in Soham are a chat on Equiano’s wife and daughters by Professor Victoria Avery, of the Fitzwilliam Museum, independent researcher Dawnanna Kreeger and Carol Brown-Leonardi from the Open University. The free event will happen on 8 October at 7:30pm.
