International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade for the year 2023 is celebrated/observed on Saturday, March 25th. There are until the next observance.

On March 25, the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade is observed. In 2008, it was discovered for the first time. The day recognizes and remembers the more than 15 million people who were brutalized as a result of the slave system for over 400 years. During the transatlantic slave trade, the Panamanian port city of Portobelo was an important entrance point for enslaved Africans, who were subsequently transferred to different locales, provided they survived the perilous ocean voyages. Despite its abolition, slavery persists in numerous forms today.

📆 When is International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade?

This year, International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade is on March 25th. It is the 4th Saturday in March; in 2024, it is on Monday.

→ Did you know: It took around seven weeks to get from Africa to America.

You can also learn all interesting things you didn’t know about and facts about March 25, 2023.

📜 History of International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Approximately 15 to 20 million people were transported against their will from Africa to Central, South, and North America, as well as Europe, during the 16th and 19th centuries. The transatlantic slave trade was a lucrative three-way trade between Europe, the Americas, and West Africa. It laid the groundwork for the majority of Britain’s wealth. In many slave trading systems, slaves were traded as men, women, and children. Up to 2.4 million slaves perished during the journey, with millions more dying soon after. Slaves were sold to be household slaves and to work on plantations, mines, and rice fields.

In 1807, Britain became the first country to pass legislation forbidding the slave trade, and by 1815, the British had convinced the Netherlands, Spain, France, and Portugal to follow suit. Slave trading was made illegal in the United States almost five years later, in 1820. It was finally stopped in 1865.

☑️ International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade facts

✅ Beginning of the Atlantic slave trade
The Atlantic slave trade began in the 1440s.

✅ Slaves were used on plantations
Slave Africans were sent to Portugal or Atlantic islands such as Madeira to work in agriculture.

✅ The first beneficiaries
The Portuguese were the first to engage in and profit greatly from the slave trade.

✨ Things to do on International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

⚡ Spread awareness
Use your position and voice to educate others about the dangers of racism and prejudice in today’s environment. To share articles and data about racism, use the hashtag #rememberanceofvictimsoftransatlanticslavetrade.

⚡ Make donations
With a heavy heart, we must also realize that, despite its abolition, slavery still exists in modern forms. Visit the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery to give or learn more about how to aid victims of modern-day slavery.

⚡ Visit the Ark of Return
Visit The Ark of Return, a permanent memorial to the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. The physical reminder that the effects of slavery, like racism and unfairness, are still with us.

📅 International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade Observances

View all March holidays, including Special Interest and other Awareness holidays.

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