The Slavery Truth Project at Liverpool Cathedral
Over the past two months, Liverpool Cathedral has taken a powerful and necessary step in confronting its historic ties to the transatlantic slave trade through participation in the Slavery Truth Project. This initiative, involving six sessions of deep learning and reflection, brought together a group of Cathedral staff, volunteers, guides, and worshippers to engage with the complex and often uncomfortable realities of our past.
Exploring Our Roots
In the first three sessions, participants explored auto-ethnographic research, delving into the Cathedral’s foundations, benefactors, and its links to slavery. This included a self-guided tour of the building with a particular focus on contested spaces such as the Lady Chapel—significantly funded by families involved in the slave trade—and the Bishop’s throne.
These moments prompted profound and necessary questions: How do we reconcile the beauty and sanctity of this sacred space with the injustice and suffering that helped to fund its creation? What does it mean to worship in a place built, in part, on the profits of human suffering?
From Reflection to Creation
Between sessions, participants undertook personal research into the families whose wealth contributed to the Cathedral’s construction and reflected on Liverpool’s broader role in the transatlantic slave trade. These personal journeys became the foundation for the second half of the project.
In sessions four through six, participants worked with local artist Bea Freeman to translate their reflections into creative response. The group collaborated on a documentary film and a series of podcast episodes—honest and moving records of their journeys through learning, lament, and the desire for reconciliation.
Looking to the Future
The result of this collaborative work is a documentary that does not shy away from the truth. Instead, it confronts the Cathedral’s past head-on while looking with hope to a future where this space can be a beacon for justice, equality, and inclusion.
The documentary will serve as the first step in a wider effort to ensure that Liverpool Cathedral continues to evolve as a space that advocates for human dignity, welcomes all people, and actively engages in truth-telling and healing.
Film Screening – Coming Soon
We had initially planned to host the documentary screening on 27 May, but with the film still in post-production, we will be announcing a new date in June or early July.
Please stay tuned to the Cathedral and Diocese websites for the confirmed date. We invite everyone to join us for the screening and a conversation that continues this important work of truth, reconciliation, and transformation.
Together, we can ensure that the Cathedral is not only a monument of awe and beauty but also a place of justice, remembrance, and renewal.
Upgrading the Sound System