Skip to main content
Emancipation Day, August 1, should be an official British bank holiday 
Racism benefits from a benign narrative that distances present-day injustices from past oppression, which is why it’s so important to highlight slavery as a vital chapter of our collective past, argues CLAUDIA WEBBE MP

WE ARE approaching a monumental day in British and world history, yet one which is barely recognised or commemorated in Britain. 

On August 1 1834, decades of anti-slavery campaigning culminated in the passage of the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833.

In many of Britain’s former colonies this date is celebrated as Emancipation Day with either a bank holiday or a day of cultural activities.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
PAST INFORMS PRESENT: The Slavery Memorial in Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania, at the site of the former East African slave market was designed by Swedish artist Clara Sornas in 1998 / Pic: Kevin Harber/Flickr/CC
Racism / 4 September 2026
4 September 2026

Trade unions should be at the heart of the anti-racist push for reparations for the historic legacy and continuing impact of slavery, writes ROGER McKENZIE

west indies
Books / 5 June 2026
5 June 2026

BOB NEWLAND appreciates an important contribution to the debate about how slavery helped to build the wealth of Western companies and states

crown silence
Books / 30 April 2026
30 April 2026

ELLIS RAE recommends a stunning history of the active role played by the British monarchy in establishing and profiting from slavery

TRAILBLAZING RESEARCH: Dr Aggrey Burke in 2022; Jamaican immigrants met by the Colonial Office officials as they disembark from the Empire Windrush one in four will commit suicide / Windrush pic: Whispyhistory/CC
Obituary / 31 December 2025
31 December 2025

1943-2025: How one man’s unfinished work reveals the lethal lie of ‘colour-blind’ medicine