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Heritage District ,” the Prime Minister stated. “The ROAD Project was conceived to deepen awareness and education surrounding the history of Barbados as it advances broader socio-economic goals. The work completed through SlaveVoyages will bring to light new insight into these difficult, yet immeasurably significant histories as we continue to chart the future for our new republic.” Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. , who serves as the Alphonse Fletcher University's Professor and Director of Hutchins Center for African & African American Research of Harvard University , welcomed Barbados’s membership. “The remarkable breadth of the SlaveVoyages database has grown exponentially since it was launched over a decade ago. It is now poised to expand its records even further from this globally significant endeavour by Barbados. The impact of the ROAD Project will be seismic in its provision of detailed records of the trade in enslaved people both on the island nation and throughout the Americas,” he stated. V ice-Chancellor of The University of the West Indies Professor Sir Hilary Beckles highlighted the significance of the institution’s contribution to the consortium: “It is entirely fitting that the Cave Hill campus of The University of the West Indies … should be invited as first external member of this significant body of American universities with a dedicated focus on the history and pedagogy of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Barbados was among the earliest and largest markets for enslaved African labour in the Americas, the first colony to be home to Africans as the largest social demographic, and the first country to enact a comprehensive slave code in which Africans were deemed as non-human and property forever.
“The Cave Hill campus was built in the mid-20 th century within an environment historically developed as plantations using enslaved African labour, and the campus today is home to the only building in the Americas inspired by the West African architectural motif of the Ashanti Golden Stool, the resting place of the spirits of departed ancestors. This constitutes an affirmation by the campus that the roots and legacies of the SlaveVoyages have been taken to the highest level of spiritual reflection and representation.” Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Cave Hill Campus Professor Clive Landis said it was an honour for the institution to be invited as a member of SlaveVoyages . He added, “This comes at an opportune moment in the history of Barbados as the world’s newest republic takes on global leadership roles in the slavery and reparations discourse. “Cave Hill Campus will work collaboratively in deploying its research expertise to help analyse, publish, and disseminate slavery records and artefacts housed in the Barbados Department of Archives and our own special collections. Our research will add value to the ambitious digitisation project being undertaken as part of the ROAD Project .” l
Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr . Professor and Director of Hutchins Center for African & African American Research, Harvard University David Adjaye Ghanaian-British architect
Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr . Professor and Director of Hutchins Center for African & African American Research, Harvard University
The Hon. Mia Amor Mottley Prime Minister of Barbados
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