Re-imagining International Sites of Enslavement

Re-imagining International Sites of Enslavement (RISE) is a knowledge-sharing programme that brings together managers of sites around the Atlantic with a connection to the slave trade. The programme is a collaboration between INTO and the American National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Practitioners working at INTO member sites are coming together to share their experience of interpreting the history of slavery with their peers, with the support of Elon Cook-Lee, Director of Interpretation and Education at the NTHP.

Taking part in RISE

Over the twelve months of the programme, participants will engage in a series of ten intimate knowledge-sharing exchanges, alongside those at the forefront of research and practice in this area of the sector.

The majority will be virtual to enable global participation, but delegates will also be invited to attend two inspiring international conferences in 2022: the INTO conference and PastForward Miami in November.

Representatives from each participating institution from all parts of the Atlantic, will receive a free pass to one of these events, with additional financial support available on a means-tested basis. Participants will also be supported to apply for funding opportunities, including directly from INTO, provided as part of the programme.

With a focus on the institution of racial slavery that was prevalent across the Atlantic Ocean from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, RISE covers the following themes:

• Re-imagining heritage sites – equitable and respectful interpretation strategies
• Fundraising and development
• Staff recruitment, training and retention
• Leading change, board diversity and ethical stewardship
• Tourism and engaging the Black diaspora
• Inclusive marketing and communications strategies for reaching domestic and international audiences
• Site rentals and event hosting: weddings and celebratory events
• The next generation: education and outreach
• facilitating respectful visitor behaviour: selfies, reenacting and history theatre
• Ideological controversies and their impact on historic site interpretation