First I would say, give yourself time.
When we're given a project or when we're thinking about doing a project, we often kind of try to race right into it.
This is not one of those subjects that you can just get into because of interest.
You really have to give yourself time to go through what you're about to look at, whether it be images or artefacts.
Understand that every element of this history carries an emotion. It carries something with it.
I remember looking through a number of images, and thinking, okay, I could look through these
images and choose something that's going to go on the website; or choose something that's going to go into the handbook.
But I had to stop myself, because every time I looked at another image, there was another
emotion involved in looking at that. There was another thought that came to it.
And I had to give myself the time and the space to do that properly.
First thing is to learn to listen to what people are saying, but also to allow enough time for people to talk to you.
Because, for example, if you bring in a consultative group, you've got to give them time to think
as well and to consult other people, which people want to do. Second thing is, do your research.
You know, one of the big temptations is to just accept the stories that you hear to go
along with the common misconceptions.
And if you do your own research, you won't be afraid to challenge those.
And the third thing is, don't be afraid to be controversial. This is a difficult subject.
It's a subject which has been sort of dumbed down for decades and decades.
You've got to get to the truth of the matter.
A lot of people aren't going to like it.
You have to be bold and go for the truth. That is critical.
Make sure that you look at multiple perspectives.
Always look for the voice of the enslaved as well as anyone else involved in the trade.
It will give you a wider perspective and a much deeper understanding of how to approach the subject.
Know your subject, for starters.
Secondly, I think appreciate its impact, something that I mentioned earlier.
Understand that this is a subject which has great resonance for people today, that it's
a very important subject for lots of people, for all sorts of different reasons.
So appreciate that this is not just history, it's also a living history as well.
And finally, be bold, and recognise that you can't please anyone any of the time.
Well, you've got to, you know, make your own judgements and make your own point.
And don't be afraid to challenge what you see.
Don't be afraid to question.
Don't be afraid to say "I don't know" if someone asks you, and try to find the answers.
I think, especially as historians we always feel like we have to have all of the answers.
But this is a history that's still contested. It's still being researched to this day, and so there's always new information.
So even what you thought you knew, there's more data that could come out tomorrow to
say, well, actually there's even more underneath the surface.