Colston Fell. Now Black Bristolians Like Me Are Demanding A Better Future
You might not know this, but Bristol is one of the most segregated cities in the UK, with ethnic minorities experiencing above national average disadvantages in education and employment.
But many only finally heard about Bristol’s problems with racial inequalitywhen the city paved the way for a worldwide call to action – when our city set a precedent of ridding ourselves of the symbolic glorification of men who destroyed the lives of many by tearing Edward Colston from his plinth.
In the wake of the atrocity of George Floyd’s murder, the audacity of Amy Cooper, and the tragedy of Belly Mujinga, Bristol had had enough. On 7 June, during a peaceful protest, Colston was ripped down, leaving me overwhelmed with emotions.
Colston going down was more than just Colston going down. The man is claimed to be responsible for the transportation of over 84,000 African men, women, and children to the Caribbean and the rest of the Americas, of whom as many as 19,000 may have died on the journey.
I know of many who have been fighting tirelessly for years to have an individual who was involved in the Atlantic slave trade removed. Every day when I walked to work, every day when I walked to meet friends, every day as I walked just to exist, his statue was a constant reminder of the pain my ancestors went through. For us all, seeing him fall was truly symbolic.
When his statue was temporarily replaced by one of a local Black Bristolian, Jen Reid, I stared at the images being shared across social media of a Black woman being the centerpiece of where a slave owner once stood. It felt like a triumph. For so long, Black womxn have not had the position to take ownership of our narratives. Finally, we had a chance.
Alongside 15 other Black womxn creators like creative producer Euella Jackson and illustrator Parys Gardener, I gathered a photo shoot by Jen’s statue. Our message? Like her, we were here to take up space and seize the moment.
Time was truly of the essence. Not...
