William Wilberforce

Naked Leader Week – 300 – Monday 22 March 2009

NL Leader Week 300 – William Wilberforce (Time to read 90 seconds)

William Wilberforce changed history. As a leading force in social reform, William was responsible for dramatically improving working conditions in factories, for helping to start the first animal protection charity (later to become the RSPCA), and for his leadership, perseverance and eventual success in bringing an end to the slave trade.

You can just imagine when he shared these dreams with people, and their reply:

“Yes, very noble William, now go and have a lie down”

He didn’t – despite battling against personal illness, doubt and opposition on every step of his journey.

All the time, William focused on just one thing – his outcome – and that was simply too important to ever give up on.

And so he didn’t.

He kept going – speech after speech, lost vote after lost vote, for 18 years

That’s right – the Abolition of Slave Trade Bill was passed in both houses and became law on Wednesday 25th March, 1807, 18 years after Wilberforce’s first speech on the subject.

As you read this quote from him, made in parliament, ask yourself these three questions:

What do you believe in, with such conviction?

What are you, personally going to do about it?

And, When?

“So enormous, so dreadful, so irremediable did the Trade’s wickedness appear that my own mind was completely made up for Abolition. Let the consequences be what they would, I from this time determined that I would never rest until I had effected its abolition.”

With my love and best wishes to you all

David

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