Captain Bill Pinkney has come from America to join Culture Minister David Lammy via videolink at Southwark City Learning Centre to discuss the abolition with a representative from Wilberforce House Museum in Hull and Key Stage 4 children. The Culture Minister opened the first session by discussing the importance of studying the abolition of the slave trade and its resonance with modern issues, while pupils from Malet Lambert School in East Hull spoke about their experiences of learning about the slave trade. Captain Pinkney, the first black person to make a solo trip around the globe, recently announced that he will sail to the UK in August aboard the Amistad ship replica.

Chris Batt, Chief Executive, MLA said: "I am delighted that the worlds of culture and education can unite through the use of technology to acknowledge the abolition of the slave trade and show children how much they can learn about their heritage through museums, libraries and archives."

The subsequent two sessions, held at a series of locations included Baroness Amos, Leader of the House of Lords; Zoe Whitley, Curator, Uncomfortable Truths, Victoria & Albert Museum, with presentations from representatives from Breaking the Chains Network, Wolverhampton; National Maritime Museum, Greenwich; Durham Archives; The National Archives and Silverdale School in Lancashire. The audience and participants will include school children in Key Stage 2, 3 and 4 from across the country.

Museums within MLA's Renaissance programme have been able to develop abolition-themed events and activities using funding from Renaissance and the Heritage Lottery Fund. These have mainly been heritage focused, drawn from local narratives but exhibitions are also looking at contemporary human trafficking. Museums provide a neutral space that allows the exploration and debate of issues surrounding slavery. -- www.mla.gov.uk