Carry Wi Story Lest We Forget
(400 Years)
A Service of Remembrance, Justice and Repair
From the transatlantic slave trade to Jamaica’s petition to the Crown: remembering the past and calling for justice and repair.
From remembrance towards repair
On Sunday 6 September 2026, we gather in London and online as a Jamaican delegation prepares to carry a formal petition for slavery reparations to His Majesty King Charles III.
Carry Wi Story traces a journey from West Africa, through the trafficking and enslavement of African people, plantation life in Jamaica, resistance and emancipation, to the continuing call for justice and repair.
It is a story of profound loss, but also of faith, resistance, courage, culture and survival.
The story survived because it was carried—from generation to generation through memory, story, music, faith and prayer.
Remembrance. Justice. Repair.
The service brings worship, history and public reflection together around three responsibilities.
Remembrance
We remember those who were enslaved, those who resisted and those who fought for freedom. We honour people who loved, believed, created, organised, worshipped and preserved their humanity.
Justice
We tell the history truthfully and recognise that the consequences of slavery did not simply disappear with emancipation.
Repair
We ask what responsibility and remedy require when a historic injustice is acknowledged but its consequences continue.
Read more about the story carried across generations
A story carried across generations
In many West African communities, histories and memories have long been carried through oral tradition. Griots—storytellers, historians and musicians—have played an important part in preserving the stories of their communities.
When African people were forcibly taken from their homelands and transported across the Atlantic, families, languages, names and histories were disrupted. Yet memory survived through story, music, faith, prayer and the determination to remember.
From the transatlantic slave trade to the Crown
The journey of this service leads to the formal petition being carried to His Majesty King Charles III. The petition raises questions about the forced transportation of African people to Jamaica, their enslavement, Britain’s responsibility and the question of restitution and repair.
The petition is legal in form, but behind it are the lives of generations. This service remembers those lives and places their story at the heart of the conversation about reparatory justice.
Some stories are carried until they can be delivered.
What do we mean by repair and reparations?
Reparations ask what should follow when a historic injustice is acknowledged but its consequences remain.
Repair may include acknowledgement, apology, restitution, material redress, cultural restoration, institutional change and investment in communities and nations affected by slavery and colonial exploitation.
The service will explore questions including:
- What was taken?
- Who benefited?
- Who continues to carry the consequences?
- What can now be restored, repaired or made right?
Remembrance tells the story. Justice confronts the wrong. Repair asks what we do next.
What to expect during the service
- Worship, remembrance, testimony, preaching and prayer
- The journey from Africa to Jamaica and from enslavement to the present day
- Contributions from Jamaican and British delegates and political representatives
- Church leaders, theologians and racial justice organisations
- Music rooted in Jamaican and African Caribbean Christian traditions
- Reflection on reparations, justice and repair
- Food, refreshments and conversation after the service
Joining the service
The service will bring together voices from Jamaica and Britain, church leaders, theologians and those working for racial and reparatory justice.
The Hon. Olivia “Babsy” Grange, OJ, CD, MP
Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Jamaica.
The Rt Hon Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP
Member of Parliament for Clapham and Brixton Hill and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Afrikan Reparations.
Choose how you will join us
Admission is free, but advance registration is required. Seating is limited and registration helps us plan our hospitality.
General Admission
Reserve a seat in the church for the service, including food and refreshments afterwards. Capacity is limited.
Worldwide Livestream
Watch from anywhere in the world. Choose a Livestream ticket and the viewing link will be emailed to you before the event.
You do not need to be Jamaican or a member of a church. People of every background and generation are welcome.
Register free now ↗Practical information
Please arrive in good time. We expect the church to be full.
Date, times and location
Sunday 6 September 2026
Doors:
1.15pm UK (BST) / 7.15am Jamaica (EST)
Service:
2.00pm–4.00pm UK (BST) / 8.00am–10.00am Jamaica (EST)
Food and refreshments:
from 4.00pm UK (BST) / 10.00am Jamaica (EST)
New Park Road Baptist Church
New Park Road
London SW2 4LH
Accessibility, photography and livestreaming
The church has step-free access and an accessible toilet.
The service will be photographed, recorded and livestreamed. Attendees may appear in photographs or recordings.
If you have an access question or need further information, email welcome@nprbaptist.org .
Food and conversation after the service
Food and refreshments will be served from 4.00pm. Please stay, meet others and continue the conversation about remembrance, reparatory justice and the responsibilities we carry together.
Upcoming events
Two further opportunities to explore the Church’s history, responsibility and work towards justice and reconciliation.
After the Flood screening
New Park Road Baptist Church
This feature documentary examines how the eighteenth-century Church became embroiled in chattel slavery, how that involvement was justified and what this history means for Christian reconciliation today.
Learn about After the Flood ↗ Register for the screening ↗2026 Sam Sharpe Lecture
Houses of Parliament
Hosted by Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP
The Revd Merlyn Hyde Riley will speak on:
“Subverting Empire: Lessons from Sam Sharpe on Institutional Injustice and Church Responsibility”
Explore the Sam Sharpe Lectures ↗Resources
Christian and theological resources for continuing to explore reparatory justice, Black British faith and the responsibilities of the Church.
We Will Repay
A biblical study resource supporting churches as they consider the theological basis for reparations and reparatory justice.
Explore We Will Repay ↗Black, British and De-churched: Message to the Mainstream
Dr Eleasah Phoenix Louis explores why some Black British people are leaving mainstream churches and what their experiences ask of the wider Church.
View the book from SCM Press ↗