This article analyzes the recent emergence of West African social movements that are putting social inequalities on the agenda of their respective government. Our focus is on the social movements of slave descendants in Benin, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. These ‘anti-slavery movements’ (ASMs) are addressing the legacies of slavery. Although slavery at the first glance seems to be an issue related to the past, its legacies matter in contemporary West African societies because they are impeding access to citizenship.We aim to develop an integrated understanding of how and why ASMs are trying to change these legacies, under which circumstances they appeared, and what their claims and achievements are. We analyse eight ASMs in a comparative perspective.