A number of discussions that engage with the context of Legacy have recently taken place on Scotland’s role in

“Henry Dundas – Melville Monument” by Fading Dusk Photography is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

Empire and the transatlantic slave trade, influenced by the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Many of these have focused around Scotland’s built environment, and particularly the legacy of Henry Dundas, Viscount Melville’s insertion of the word ‘gradual’ into the 1792 bill for the abolition of the slave trade.

1. Unearthed Podcast

Ryan Latto further explores the great Scottish ‘amnesia’ of the transatlantic slave trade through conversations with prominent black voices on Henry Dundas in his Unearthed podcast. Part 1 considers the Melville Monument to Henry Dundas, Viscount Melville, situated in St Andrews Square and Scotland’s prominent role in the transatlantic slave trade. Part 2 engages with the how this role in the slave trade has affected people living in Scotland today.

2. Historians on Dundas and Slavery

Urgent discussions taking place across the world about monuments and streets dedicated to Henry Dundas. In July 2020, the Edinburgh Centre for Global History brought together historians with specialist knowledge of Dundas’s career for in-depth information and analysis of all aspects of Dundas’s relationship to slavery.

3. Edinburgh World Heritage in conversation | Black History Matters

In July 2020 Edinburgh World Heritage brought together a number of prominent black voices to consider how we can better engage with the history of Empire and the transatlantic slave trade, and how this can help our broader understanding of our built environment.