The council has set up a new Edinburgh Slavery and Colonialism Legacy Review Implementation Group to advance its work in this area. A chair of the group is to be appointed this week.
Irene Mosota has been nominated and councillors will be asked to approve her appointment as chair on Tuesday along with deciding the remit of the group and the way it will be run.
Ms Mosota is a social enterprise practitioner and founder and director of Knowledge Bridge, an organisation which supports bodies to translate equity, diversity and inclusion as well as sustainable strategies into meaningful action, change and impact.
The Review group set up under the chairmanship of Professor Sir Geoff Palmer recommended first steps for the council in acknowledging its past role in sustaining slavery and colonialism. In October 2022, Lord Provost Robert Aldridge apologised on behalf of the city. The new group will take forward any other steps considered necessary.
Council Leader Cammy Day said: “We originally commissioned the independent review because we felt it was an important and useful starting point for a wide-ranging public discussion about the modern-day impact of this legacy. Racism must be talked about, and action to end it must be supported if it is to be stamped out and we are to be the inclusive and welcoming city that the vast majority of its residents wants and expects it to be.
“Following on from the endorsement of the Group’s recommendations, the Council has apologised for the city’s past role in sustaining slavery and colonialism and now I’m delighted that things are moving forward to implement the remaining recommendations.
“I very much welcome the nomination of Ms Mosota, whose contribution to the Edinburgh Slavery and Colonialism Legacy Review Group was invaluable. Her skills in change management, research and diversity, equity and inclusion, will be key in taking the work of the group forward.”
Ms Mosota said: “Our city acknowledges the impact of the past, yet we must also embrace the present and work towards a future that embodies the fundamental values of dignity and equality for all. We possess the power to heal and pave the way towards a more equitable future, and it is our obligation to ensure that all voices are heard and all people are valued, not just for our own sake, but for the sake of future generations.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
