A virtual lecture on the accidental arrival of a slave ship on the island just months after emancipation is to be held as part of the National Museum of Bermuda’s “Atlantic World” series.

The talk will be available for free on Zoom and focus on events surrounding the docking of the Enterprise, which was forced to Bermuda’s shore by bad weather in the 1830s.

The lecture will be given by Dr Neil Kennedy, Associate Professor, Department of History at Memorial University, in Newfoundland.

Heralding the event, a spokesperson for the museum stated: “In 1835, seven months after emancipation, the American slave ship Enterprise, carrying 78 enslaved adults and children, was forced into Bermuda by bad weather.

“The unintended arrival of the ship and the choice for freedom made by those on-board, touched off an urgent discussion about the legal status of its human cargo.

“From the role that local Black Bermudian communication networks played in securing the freedom of those on board to the connections between the Enterprise and some of the most prominent slave traders and abolitionist families in the United States, this talk by Dr Neil Kennedy will explore how new research can help us understand this pivotal moment in our history.”

The lecture, entitled “Reckoning With The Slave Ship Enterprise in Bermuda, 1835” takes place at 5.30pm on April 28.

Those interested in the Zoom Webinar event should click here to register.