We invite you to join a conversation with Joy and Jo Banner from the Descendants Project along with representatives from the University of Bristol's Reparative Futures Programme, in the Bill Brown Forum.
This participatory event creates a space for people across communities to share their voices, perspectives and experiences and to explore food and health inequalities through a historical justice and reparative lens.
We will use food - its production, distribution and consumption - to connect these discussions. Food offers a tangible and relatable entry point for exploring how questions of environmental sustainability, community wellbeing, historical inequality and social justice and connected. Bristol provides a particularly important context for these conversations, given its historical connections to the transatlantic slave trade and the continuing legacies of slavery.
Topics for discussion include:
- Connections between plantation economies, environmental exploitation and the shaping of contemporary food environments
- Continuing inequalities in access to nutrition, affordable and culturally appropriate food
- How England accumulated wealth through plantation economies overseas, despite the absence of plantations on English soil and what these legacies mean for communities in Bristol today
- Histories of resistance, community organising and collective action against slavery and its continuing legacies across different geographies
This event hopes to offer a space for learning, reflection and dialogue across communities. Together we will explore how the legacies of slavery continue to shape experiences of food, health and opportunity today while sharing examples of community-led action, resilience and change in both Bristol and Louisiana. We will discuss different perspectives on repair, healing and building fairer futures.
The event is free to attend and open to everyone. We particularly welcome members of Bristol communities, community organisations, students, alumni, staff, practitioners, educators and anyone interested in understanding these histories and their relevance today.
📅 Wednesday 13 January 2027
🕐18:00 - 19:45 (last entry at 18:25)
📍Bill Brown Forum, Sloane Robinson Building
18:00 Doors open
18:25 Last entry
18:30 Kitchen table conversation: a relaxed, informal conversation among speakers, sharing experiences, perspectives and reflections
19:15 Open forum and audience discussion: an opportunity for audience members to ask questions, share reflections and contribute to the conversation
19:45 Event close, guests are welcome to use the space for informal networking until 20:30
You are welcome to visit the cafe, located within the Exchange Hall and adjacent to the Bill Brown Forum before the talk begins. Please note food and drink is not permitted within the Bill Brown Forum.
Data Protection Statement
Your data will be used to sign you up for this event, to keep in contact with you, and to provide accessibility provisions. We will keep your data only for as long as strictly necessary, in line with the University’s Records Retention Schedule.
Price:
£0.00