Report: The MJR Launch, 23 September 2015

Last Wednesday's launch of MJR, held at St Mark's Church Kennington, attracted cross-party support and was well received by community leaders and academics alike.

MJR is seeking to bring to public attention a long neglected issue that is still having an impact on society today. The extent to which Britain was involved in colonial slavery and industrial exploitation has largely been airbrushed out of our history books; and the legacy of this involvement has never been fully acknowledged. The Movement for Justice and Reconciliation aims to define the exact nature of this legacy and seek ways to address the resultant issues identified.

At the launch, MJR Trustees outlined the way in which this forgotten part of Britain's history has influenced many areas of today's society. Responses were made by Karen Bradley MP (Home Office Minister for Preventing Abuse and Exploitation); Stephen Timms MP (Shadow Cabinet Minister for Work and Pensions); and Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali (see right, centre), President of OXTRAD (The Oxford Centre for Training, Research, Advocacy and Dialogue).

The launch was described as "a wonderful start on the road to raising public awareness of the legacy of slavery". The 'Case for Legacy' will be presented to a cross-party group in Parliament in November. Further projects, research and events are planned for 2016.

More details of the work of MJR can be found on www.mjr-uk.com.