Legacies: Commemorating the bicentenary of British abolition

Myths About Race exhibition and Remembering Slavery Trail at The Manchester Museum

Myths about Race featured a selection of objects and images that were used in museums and other media to support racist ideas. It also looked at the ways in which individuals and organisations in Manchester have worked to dispel these myths.

For the Remembering Slavery trail five objects were selected from the museum's displays and reinterpreted to reveal their part in Manchester's history in relation to the slave trade and its legacy. The trail took place from 25 August 2007 until 6 January 2008.

Many Victorian institutions, including The Manchester Museum, contributed to the same racist thinking that had justified slavery. As part of the Revealing Histories: Remembering Slavery project, we explored the difficult and sensitive issues that this raises.