Patrick Vernon

SUCOTETO 2025: Honouring History, Celebrating Resistance, and Inspiring Healing

On 31 July 2025, the third annual SUCOTETO gathering took place at King Solomon International Business School in Birmingham, bringing together community members, activists, scholars, and artists to honour the memory of those impacted by the Transatlantic Slave Trade and ongoing racial injustice. Rooted in deep reflection and collective remembrance, SUCOTETO: an acronym for Sugar, Cotton, Tobacco, Coffee, Cocoa, Tea, acknowledges the commodities that were produced through the suffering, exploitation, and dehumanisation of enslaved African people.

A Gathering of Remembrance and Solidarity

SUCOTETO 2025 served as both a solemn memorial and a joyful celebration of resistance and resilience. The event paid tribute to ancestors who perished in the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the enslaved who fought for freedom, fearless abolitionists who challenged injustice, and generations of activists who have continued the fight for racial equity.

Keynote and Voices of Power

The evening featured a powerful keynote address by Dr Erica McInnis, Director and Principal Psychologist at Nubian Wellness and Healing, who spoke about the psychological legacy of racial trauma and the vital importance of healing in Black communities.

The programme also included:

• Dr Patrick Vernon OBE, social commentator and Pro Chancellor at the University of Wolverhampton, whose continued work on Windrush justice and health equity grounds today’s activism in historical awareness.

• Ruth South, creator and founder of SUCOTETO and co-founder of CARE, who received an Award of Recognition for her inspiring leadership and vision.

• Ian Henery, poet, playwright, and radio presenter, whose words offered creative expression and reflection.

• Jayonn South, youth speaker, representing the next generation of voices committed to truth and transformation.

• Dr Pedro Antonius, Director of the Research Institute of Biblical Understanding (RIBU), and

• Yvonne Lee, a special guest singer whose performance stirred the spirit of the audience.

The evening was co-hosted by Esther Douglas, co-founder of CARE and a driving force behind the event.

Building a Legacy of Healing and Change

Now in its third year, SUCOTETO continues to grow as a community-rooted movement that blends historical education, remembrance, and forward-looking activism. It encourages participants not only to reflect on the painful legacies of colonialism and enslavement, but also to affirm the beauty, strength, and creativity of those who resist.

As the organisers noted, this event is also a space for “restoration, healing, and change through solidarity, allyship, and love.” With light refreshments, uplifting music, storytelling, and spoken word, SUCOTETO embodied a spirit of joy, reverence, and renewal.