11 June 2020
The Black Lives Matter movement has been named the biggest civil rights movement in history. Countries across the world have experienced protests in support of the movement, highlighting that race related issues exist in all societies. A particularly contentious issue within the UK has been the vandalism of statues. This began when protestors in Bristol took down the statue of Edward Colston before rolling it to the harbour and pushing it into the water. Edward Colston made his fortune in the slave trade; a fortune which was then used for charitable donations. A well-known figure in Bristol, Colston and his legacy have long been debated in the area. For many, to memorialise a man so closely associated with the slave trade is wrong. This statue, as well as streets and buildings named after him, demonstrate an acceptance of his involvement in the slave trade and therefore an acceptance of racism. In 2020, over 200 years after the Slave Trade Act of 1807, we continue to accept British colonialism and imperialism without understanding its significance.
In essence, much of Britain was built on colonialism. Much of the wealth of the aristocracy came from building the British Empire, which inevitably led to the slave trade. While Britain was not the only country involved, that is of no consequence today. As a nation, we are happy to describe Britain as one of the most powerful and influential countries in the world, yet most people fail to understand the reason for this. Many have argued that the statues should not be taken down because they represent an important part of our history. But they represent a part of our history that most people know nothing about. Like many people of my generation, I was taught nothing about colonialism and the slave trade until I started my degree in American Studies and History. While I understand that this may not be the case for everyone, a strong argument can be made that more needs to be done in order to ensure that Britain does not forget its colonial past, while also ensuring that this British colonialism and imperialism is not glorified in the same ways that most British history currently is. In my home nation of Wales, a significant amount of time is spent teaching Welsh history, its myths and legends and the stories around historical characters such as Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf and Owain Glyndŵr. While learning these things is important, particularly for maintaining our Welsh national consciousness and sense of identity, there is a neglect for other aspects of history. One book I would strongly recommend reading is Slave Wales: The Welsh and Atlantic Slavery, 1660-1850 by Chris Evans. It highlights Wales’ role and reliance on the slave trade, naming different figures and the areas from which they came. The failure to teach us about Britain’s colonial past in school means that many of us don’t understand the foundation on which this country is built. There are currently a number of petitions calling for a better education on this subject that I would strongly encourage you to sign.
Feelings are running high around the issue of Winston Churchill's statue. After some vandalism last weekend, a number of people have argued that these actions were disrespectful to one of Britain’s greatest war heroes. Though it is true that Churchill played a significant role in Britain’s wartime success, he arguably had more of an impact on the Home Front by boosting the British morale and delivering inspirational speeches. However, for many people his personal views were both racist and anti-Semitic, points that cannot be ignored. This represents another failure in our education; we only know Churchill as the great leader that led us to victory. However, the British immigration quotas on the number of Jews allowed to enter Palestine in the years following the war are an example of the persistent anti-Semitism. New detention camps were created in Cyprus in order to detain Jewish refugees. Additionally, his imposing views that “a higher-grade race, a more worldly wise race” had taken over the lands of other groups such as Native Americans demonstrate his racist views. While I understand why and sympathise to some extent with those wishing to remove Churchill’s statue, I can also understand why it should be kept. The issue isn’t with the statue itself, but with our understanding of Churchill as a leader. Being taught to glorify him for his role during the war has led to a failure in educating us on his racist and prejudice views. The war only lasted six years. There is much more to be learnt about Churchill’s words and actions outside of the war years.
I do agree that some statues need to be removed in order to demonstrate that the UK is moving on from its racist past. Though some may disagree, I believe that support for these statues ultimately demonstrates support for a racist past and therefore resistance against an anti-racist future. I agree that we need to know about these people, we need to know about their wrongdoings as well as their successes. But this can be done in school by changing the curriculum and creating a more rounded education. Rather than spending years learning continuously about kings and queens and the Victorian era, teach us about our colonial past and the impact it had on countries and people worldwide. We need to stop glorifying British history and start learning about its negative impact. Yes, celebrating our successes is important but we also need to be mature enough as a nation to accept that mistakes have been made too.
~ Cerys
Petitions:
Make it compulsory for Black and POC UK histories to be taught in the Welsh education curriculum
Teach British children about the realities of British Imperialism and Colonialism
Teach Britain's colonial past as part of the UK's compulsory curriculum
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