WATCH: 'Challenging' Slavery Exhibit Opens

Islanders can now learn about the island's involvement in the transatlantic slave trade in a new exhibition at Jersey Museum.

'Trade Roots' examines the island's associations with slavery during the 17th century.

Described as 'challenging' and 'thought-provoking', the exhibit comes off the back of a Jersey Heritage diversity report following the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement in the summer of 2020.

Around that time, the statue of former Bailiff Sir George Carteret in St Peter was vandalised multiple times, amid debate about whether it should be removed.

The story of Sir George's slave trade links are explored in this new exhibition. 

Social Wellbeing consultant Jade Ecobichon-Grey says that now is the right time for it because the community is keen to learn about this aspect of our past:

"It probably should have been done before, but we're (now) at place where society is calling for more.

We want an understanding of where we come from.  We live in much more multi-cultural communities now, and we want people to come to this exhibition and feel that their history is being represented."

Jade also believes that Jersey's school curriculum should catch up in telling the island's contribution to the slave trade.

"I think the reality is that this is a monumental stepping stone in Jersey's community in beginning to tell this history.

I feel it shouldn't stop here. The importance now is thinking about how do we engage with younger generations so they have the opportunity to learn this way before adulthood.

I'm a Jersey-born women and there's a lot of things that I was completely unaware of in terms of my own history."

The display - on the ground floor of the museum's Pier Road Building - is open for the first time to the public.

The Victorian House itself was partly built from profits from the slave trade and has a grand mahogany staircase - an industry that was run off slave labour.

Exhibitions curator, Lucy Layton thinks it's a 'very appropriate' venue to explore the history.

"The house explores the story of the people who lived in the house during the Victorian period - but in this new exhibition on the ground floor of the building we're exploring the new story of the house's links to the slave trade"

The exhibition will be on display for at least a year.

It's opening coincides with the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade.

Jersey Heritage will be running a schools programme based on the exhibition and a number of events and talks in October for Black History Month.

On the United Nations day of remembrance of the slave trade,
Jade Ecobichon-Grey and the Bailiff open a new exhibition at Jersey Museum about Jersey's links to the slave trade, "Trade Roots". @loveheritage pic.twitter.com/1fVmxwLoOa

— Kirsten Morel (@KirstenJersey) August 23, 2022

Lucy and Jade took Channel 103 around the exhibit: