August 23 is the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, established by UNESCO.

The colonial past of many European countries still has a profound effect in the present. Think of institutional racism and its damaging consequences for black people and people of colour. That is why we think it is important to reflect on this day, so that we do not forget the past.

As individuals, we are not responsible for the actions of our ancestors. But as a society we do bear responsibility for this past. Government apologies are a first step in the right direction. In addition, as far as we are concerned, every person has the (moral) duty to take note of the degrading atrocities, and also of how colonialism still partly determines our thinking and actions. Only in this way can we learn from the past and heal as a society so that we can continue to grow.

That is why we, as The Wyrd Thing Podcast, reflect on the slave trade and its consequences for the people who were enslaved – and their descendants. We consciously choose to keep learning about how we can reduce our (unconscious) prejudices and how we, as (white) people and as a society, can de-colonialise. Here too, the following applies: talk with people, instead of about people. We need to listen to black people and people of colour, because only they can tell what it takes for them to rebuild trust.

We pay our respects to the resistance fighters and everyone who has contributed to stop the slave trade. And we remember all the victims of the slave trade, and remember all the people who are harmed by it to this day.