The ASB tour is thrilled that a statue of the anti-slavery abolitionist and campaigner, Frederick Douglass, will be unveiled on 31st July 2023 in Rosemary Street.
The ASB tour reveals the story of Belfast’s involvement in this shameful transatlantic trade and the inspiring role of anti-slavery campaigners, brought to life by local historians and trained tour guides, Dr Tom Thorpe and Mark Doherty. The ASB tour has been informing locals and tourists about Belfast’s involvement in slavery and anti-slavery since February this year.
Dr Tom Thorpe said: “Belfast is the first city in Europe to honour Douglass by installing a statue. This continues Belfast’s proud tradition as an anti-slavery city. Belfast never profited from the trade in the same way as cities such as London, Liverpool, Glasgow or Bristol. It had a strong tradition of anti-slavery campaigning from the 1780s when Thomas McCabe prevented the establishment of the Belfast Slave Ship Company right through to the 1860s when 89-year-old Mary Ann McCracken was handing out anti-slavery leaflets on Donegall Quay.”
The statue was commissioned by Belfast City Council and the Department for Communities and created by sculptor Alan Beattie Herriot.
Frederick Douglass was a leading member of the abolitionist movement to abolish slavery in the USA and an early champion of women’s rights. He visited Belfast four times in the 1840s.
