Charters to lead International Slavery Museum

MICHELLE CHARTERS has become the first Black woman to head up Liverpool's International Slavery Museum, part of National Museums Liverpool (NML).

Charters will join in the new year from Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre, where she has served as Chief Executive for the past 17 years.

She is also an activist, founder, and Chair of Merseyside Black History Month Group, as well as a trustee of Everyman and Playhouse Theatres in Liverpool. 

She will lead the museum's £28m transformation from a gallery space into a museum, including the redevelopment of the Dr Martin Luther King Jnr building. 

"When I first stepped into what was known then as the Transatlantic Slavery Gallery nearly 30 years ago, I committed to be part of a movement to learn, interpret and share what we could about our ancestors’ pain and suffering," Charter said. 

“It is a privilege to be joining such a skilled, professional and loyal team, and I’m proud to be the one who will lead the International Slavery Museum as it realises National Museum Liverpool’s ambition to become the world leader in understanding and exploring the impact and legacies of historical and modern slavery, and how it still influences the world today.”

Director of NML LAURA PYE added: “Michelle has been part of the history of this museum for many years, and we can't wait for her to be a part of its future."