PATHNORTH

The Buxton Initiative is named after British social reformer and abolitionist Thomas Fowell Buxton. He was active in prison and legal reform and became part of the anti-slavery trade campaign led by William Wilberforce. T.F. Buxton, alongside William Wilberforce, founded the Society for the Mitigation and Gradual Abolition of Slavery 1823.  After Wilberforce retired as an MP, Buxton became leader of the House of Commons and continued to campaign diligently to eradicate the slave trade and grant slaves freedom.  Finally, in 1833, Parliament passed the Slavery Abolition Act.

The uniqueness of T.F. Buxton is that he built on the legacy of a reformer before him and saw the power of networks.  The Buxton Initiative sees itself as standing upon the shoulders of others, building on the interfaith momentum to facilitate relationships and to implement inclusive approaches to social justice.  In addition, the Buxton Initiative’s relationship ethos resonates intimately with T.F. Buxton’s emphasis on groups of people being able to make a difference.