The last few months have been a pretty crazy time: online teaching, lockdown, home schooling, balancing family and work whilst working from home but as with all things there have been opportunities from these challenges. The death of George Floyd and subsequent BLM protests (1)

with statues being pulled down, monuments defaced and the counter-protests to protect what many feel are important memorials of Britishness has shown, IMO, how important a knowledge of history is and of the importance of putting the evidence first. (2)

As a department we embraced these events and issues and adapted our teaching to allow students the chance to discuss (with careful parameters around respect for others) how they might use history to help them better understand and make their own mind up. (3)

Discussion of the global, national and local stories around slavery, racism and national identity are vital to allow students to develop, because education isn't just about getting a job... @wmarybeard I agree with you on this one! I think most people do! (4)

Lancaster was the 4th largest slave trading port in England in the 1700s and yet this part of its history has remained largely hidden in the streets and on the buildings Our lessons have sought to reveal this to pupils, many of whom did not realise what had gone on. (5)

I personally regret not making more of this in the past, there's been no secret about the slave trading but with the pressure to fit so much in (we must teach our mandated 'British values' and great island story) it can get glossed over. What a mistake this was... (6)

...discussing the actions first of Colston and the reaction to him, as well as why the statute went up in the first place allowed us to then look at Gillow, Hinde, Bond, Foster et al and realise that this happened here, with over 30000 slaves transported on Lancastrian ships. (7)

Looking at maps from the late 1600s it is clear to see Lancaster's quay go from nothing to a bustling regional port within a century, to be followed later by canals and railways and mills, all funded by slave profits and compensation. Lancaster was partly built on this money (8)

none of this has been done because we wanted to denigrate Lancaster or British history it is simply what the evidence shows us happened and to ignore it would be a failure to explore history in the round. Students need to know more than just the abolitionists.... (9)

Lancaster has many champions of this 'hidden' history and it has been good to meet some of them over the last few weeks @ProfImogenTyler Prof Alan Rice @UCLanResearch and others who I hope to speak with soon and start to do more as a department and school to help. (10)

We are putting out a summer challenge to all pupils and their families to get out and about in Lancaster to explore this aspect of its history. Details can be found here https://lrgssch-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/jreynolds_lrgs_org_uk/EXxNy7P8N8pKtGaP7xNJm44B1KY2b4bfh9rE8E6yuVAmiA?e=wT2di5 of our historical environment investigation. @LRGSLancaster. (11)

Thank you again to those people who have helped us learn more about this topic @DavidOlusoga @ProfImogenTyler @UCLHistory @slavevoyages. We haven't finished yet and hope to do more research, teaching and spreading of the word. https://www.slavevoyages.org/  https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/  (12)

..this thread will probably be added to btw...it's a work in progress.