The 2026-2030 plan sets out priorities for restorative action, expands research into the impacts of transatlantic enslavement, and demonstrates progress in broadening the scope of Guardian journalism in underrepresented regions.
The Scott Trust today (Tuesday 21 April) announced the next pivotal stage of its 10-year Legacies of Enslavement programme, detailing new actions to address and atone for the Guardian's historical links to transatlantic enslavement.
Launched in 2023, the programme acknowledges that the founder of the Manchester Guardian, John Edward Taylor, and his backers profited from transatlantic enslavement through their business interests in cotton and sugar. Among them was Sir George Philips, co-owner of the Success plantation in Hanover, Jamaica. Links were also identified between Taylor's family business and plantations in the Gullah Geechee region of the US Sea Islands.
Three years on, the 2026-2030 plan (pdf) builds on the programme's initial commitments and sets out how the programme will continue to pursue restorative justice and meaningful repair.
Investing in descendent communities
Over the next four years, the Scott Trust will invest in supporting the priorities identified by descendant communities in Jamaica and the US Sea Islands. In both regions the programme has developed a comprehensive set of priorities that contribute to realising repair, including:
Some work is already ongoing; for example, in Jamaica, the programme is assisting the community in Hanover parish with reconstruction efforts post Hurricane Melissa.
A commitment to reparatory justice in the UK and worldwide
This next phase of plans has been designed to reinforce the programme's commitment to restorative justice and truth-telling in the UK and globally. This includes sharing new academic research, raising awareness of the UK's role in transatlantic enslavement and its enduring impact, and increasing accountability through the Guardian's journalism and Cotton Capital series.
In Manchester, where the Guardian was founded, work is already underway on a landmark exhibition on Manchester, Cotton and Enslavement to be launched in early 2027 in partnership with the Science and Industry Museum.
The Guardian is also relaunching the monthly Cotton Capital newsletter, exploring legacies of enslavement and reparative justice around the world. Readers can sign-up to receive the newsletter directly in their inboxes here.
Ole Jacob Sunde, chair of the Scott Trust, said:
"The Scott Trust is deeply committed to this programme of restorative justice. I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the journey so far. We are grateful to the descendant communities in Jamaica, the US and UK who have taken the time to share with us how we can make a meaningful impact in this next phase of the programme. I look forward to the work ahead."
Katharine Viner, editor-in-chief, Guardian News & Media, says:
"I am delighted to see the progress the Legacies of Enslavement team has made in confronting and atoning for the Guardian's historic links to transatlantic enslavement , and I want to thank everyone who has helped shape the programme and bring it to life. This work has widened the lens of the Guardian's journalism, diversified our team around the world and amplified stories from underrepresented communities and regions. As we enter this next phase of the plan, our focus is on making changes that are meaningful, significant and long-lasting to the lives of those affected."
Ebony Riddell Bamber, programme director, the Scott Trust Legacies of Enslavement programme, says:
"This is an exciting phase of the programme, where we deliver on visions of repair for transatlantic enslavement through partnership-building and providing resources and support. We have been received with such grace, openness and insight while we engaged in defining this work. If we have connected with you over these past few years, we hope you see your priorities in this plan. We look forward to collaborating with you to realise them."
Ongoing engagement and relationship-building with descendant communities is central to the Legacies of Enslavement programme's approach, with programme managers embedded within those communities leading the work. Ahmed Reid and Angel Parson have been appointed as programme managers to further the Guardian's work in Jamaica and the US Sea Islands respectively. Reid and Parson join Keisha Thompson, programme manager for Manchester, who was appointed in September 2024.
The programme has made significant progress in its initial plans to atone over the last three years; this includes:
For more information on the project, please visit the programme webpage or contact legacies@theguardian.com.
If you wish to speak with programme director Ebony Riddell-Bamber or local programme managers in Jamaica, US or Manchester for an interview, please contact media.enquiries@theguardian.com.
The ultimate owner of the Guardian is the Scott Trust, which was originally created as a trust in 1936 to safeguard the title's journalistic freedom. In 2008 it was replaced by a limited company with the same core purpose as the original trust: to secure the financial and editorial independence of the Guardian in perpetuity; while its subsidiary aims are to champion its principles and promote freedom of the press in UK elsewhere. Other than to cover expenses; Scott Trust takes no dividend from Group's businesses; whose profits are instead reinvested to sustain journalism that is free from commercial or political interference.
About the Legacies of Enslavement programme
In March 2023, the Scott Trust published a comprehensive report on the Guardian's historical connections with transatlantic enslavement, sharing an apology and its restorative justice response. The research identified links between John Edward Taylor and the associates who funded the Manchester Guardian's creation and enslavement. It was conducted in three stages - first by Dr Sheryllynne Haggerty and Dr Cassandra Gooptar of the University of Nottingham's Institute for the Study of Slavery; later by Dr Gooptar and Professor Trevor Burnard of the University of Hull's Wilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and Emancipation. The Scott Trust also commissioned author and expert Professor Olivette Otele as an external advisor who reviewed academic findings.
The academic research and restorative justice proposals were overseen by a committee of Scott Trust members: historian, writer and broadcaster David Olusoga; barrister and former deputy mayor of London Matthew Ryder KC; Guardian editor-in-chief Katharine Viner; Scott Trust chair Ole Jacob Sunde; and by a team of Guardian editorial and commercial staff led by senior editor for diversity and development Joseph Harker; chief communications and marketing officer Brendan O'Grady. Maya Wolfe-Robinson is editor of Cotton Capital.
Since June 2023, Ebony Riddell Bamber has been in post as programme director building our global team providing project management leadership advancing descendant community engagement initiating development strategic plan.
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