Local Nonprofits To Commemorate Transatlantic Slave Trade & Abolition

STAMFORD, CT — Connecticut-based UNESCO Center for Global Friendship, Inc., in partnership with the Ferguson Library South End Branch, will organize an event on Friday, Aug. 19 at 6 p.m., at the branch to commemorate the transatlantic slave trade and its abolition.

This free event will have the theme of "Rhythms and Stories of Courage: Resistance to Slavery and Unity against Racism," and will feature a talk by the 2019 Connecticut Teacher of the Year Sheena Graham, who performed twice at the White House. There will be also a poetry recital by upcoming high school junior Angie Manigat, and an art performance by Anacaona Youth Enrichment Program.

A Q&A session will follow the discussion, and refreshments will be served.

"Our event will honor the memory and legacy of our enslaved ancestors by amplifying local creative voices and talents who embody their dreams," said event coordinator Angelucci Manigat, Jr. in a news release.

The event will be held ahead of International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition on Aug. 23.

In August 1791, Santo Domingo (today Haiti and the Dominican Republic) saw the beginning of the uprising that would ultimately lead to the abolition of slavery.

"Those freedom fighters fought for the restoration of our shared humanity globally," Manigat said in a news release.

UNESCO Center for Global Friendship, Inc. develops free cultural programs for libraries in Connecticut and provides educational materials and professional assistance to libraries in the Caribbean and Latin America.

The Ferguson Library South End Branch is located at 34 Woodland Ave. in Stamford.

For more information on UNESCO, click here or call 475-470-4751.