Inaugural meeting for West Lothian working group looking at the legacy of slavery

The working group undertake the following tasks:

• review any features within West Lothian which commemorate those with close links to slavery and colonialism

• discuss matters such as governance, planning, conservation, and community consultation.

• build upon the progress to date on raising awareness and developing teaching resources about the West Lothian connection to the slavery

• produce an action plan which sets out the key actions to be undertaken to raise awareness of the legacy of slavery in West Lothian.

The groups inaugural meeting is to be held virtually on June 15 from 6pm where members will look at the role and appointment of a permanent chair and  ongoing membership of the working group.

The initial meeting will be chaired by Abel Aboh.

Abel is a Data Management Leader with working experience across various industries and sectors in the United Kingdom and is passionate about Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI). He has held roles such as Chair for embRACE - employee resource group for BAE Systems Naval Ships business.

Since 2017, Abel has served as the Chair of the West Lothian Community Race Forum which is the group responsible for promoting diversity, equality and inclusion for ethnic minorities groups in West Lothian.

It is anticipated that the role of permanent chair will be formally advertised shortly after the date of the first meeting. Further details on this will be shared in due course.

If you would like to find out more about the initial meeting or get further details on the working group then please contact Pamela.Roccio@westlothian.gov.uk

Council officers will work continue to work with the Race Forum and other key stakeholders in furthering this work over the coming months.