The exhibition will run at the museum from the 5th April.
The Postal Museum has announced details of its upcoming exhibition Voices of Resistance: Slavery and Post in Caribbean which will run at the museum until 5th January 2026.
This new display will expose how 19th century British postal services profited from and enabled transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans, by exploring the lives and legacies of those enslaved.
Opening on the 5th April, Voices of the Resistance will tell the stories of enslaved women, men and children who endured exploitation and persecution in the Caribbean. It will highlight the fight for freedom and better conditions, the persecution they faced and the global impact of their legacies today.
In particular, the exhibition will focus on the island of St. Thomas, where enslaved people – predominantly women – were forced to carry heavy baskets laden with coal, to fuel ships belonging to the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company (RMSPC). In a day, coal workers carried as much as 800 tonnes of coal, as heavy as five cars.
The Postal Museum has worked closely with academics, community groups in London and the United States Virgin Islands to shape the exhibition, including the Caribbean Social Forum, Royal Mail Culture Bearers and Dollar fo’ Dollar. The museum has also commissioned new research into the lives of coal workers in partnership with a St. Thomas based historian.
On display will be postcards, letters, paintings and clothing from the past and present,
alongside newly unearthed correspondence between UK plantation owners and Caribbean managers discovered in the museum’s archives. New stories revealing moments in enslaved people’s lives, and their courageous acts of resistance, have been uncovered through a process of reading this correspondence “against the grain.”
Meanwhile, at the centre of the exhibition will be a specially commissioned film, showing the annual celebration honouring coal workers, organised by Dollar fo’ Dollar – the St. Thomas based organisation which researches and raises awareness of the rich legacy of the island’s coal workers.
Other highlights of the display will be:
- Filmed interviews with St. Thomas based culture bearers sharing how they honour their heritage and ancestors through creative expression-
- An audio-visual piece that documents Dollar fo’ Dollar’s annual walk to celebrate the lives and legacies of coal workers enslaved on St. Thomas
- Details of the historic 1892 Coal Workers’ Strike led by Queen Coziah, a bamboula
dancer, which led to better pay. A modern bamboula outfit will also be displayed - The story of Mary Prince, who was the first known Black woman to write about a life in slavery. Her 1831 account helped change public perceptions and opinions of slavery
- An artistic response from a group of African, Caribbean and Black diaspora women
working for Royal Mail in London, inspired by the stories of two enslaved women:
Elizabeth who secured freedom through manumission, and Nancy who bravely
protested against working conditions - A display of baskets, inspired by those carried by the coal workers on St. Thomas, made by the Caribbean Social Forum
- Written documents by James MacQueen, pro-slavery campaigner and RMSPC founder, whose aim was to maintain power across the British Empire
- The exhibition will also uncover the operations of the RMSPC ships and life on board.
Laura Wright, CEO, The Postal Museum says, “We’re immensely grateful to our partners in London and St. Thomas who have greatly enriched our exhibition’s narrative. It’s incredible that despite the brutality of their lives, enslaved people found ways to survive, and this exhibition aims to honour their voices of resistance. We hope to work with external partners in the future to develop more of our exhibitions and content.”
To find out more visit: https://www.postalmuseum.org/event/voices-of-resistance/