minoanmiss | History Lesson

So when I read that Edward Colston's statue was pulled down in Bristol I went to look him up.

I wonder if this is the motherfucker who sold my ancestors in Jamaica. Certainly, he worked for the company which did so.

People have argued on both sides of the pond that removing statues of people lauded for despicable acts 'erases history', but because of this removal I just learned some history! More seriously, I know how I would have felt standing in Bristol and looking up at a monument to this man and thus to the capture and enslavement of my ancestors. How did the members of the Windrush generation and their children feel?

Let the fish swim over his monument and let me and my relatives be our ancestors' monument until the (possible, but unlikely) day the US and/or the UK ever erect one to all the people abducted, enslaved, brutalized, and murdered for others' profit.

Current Mood: grimly delighted

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

julian

Amen.

(Also, I first saw this on Tumblr so I bet you've seen it, but: Grenada's undersea sculpture park. https://travelnoire.com/grenada-underwater-sculpture-park-tribute-african-slaves)

From:

minoanmiss

nod The first time I saw that I cried.

From:

julian

Me too. It's a powerful thing.

From:

kore

Ohh wow.

From:

sabotabby

People have argued on both sides of the pond that removing statues of people lauded for despicable acts 'erases history', but because of this removal I just learned some history!

Arrrgh I hate that. Why'd they topple all the Lenin and Stalin and Saddam statues, then?

From:

minoanmiss

Oh they were bad people. Unlike the Heroes of the Confederacy and Very Generous Philantrhophists who made their fortunes from the slave trade, of course. Totally unlike.

From:

lyonesse

*hugs*

having statues like that perpetuates the horrific narrative that people who did horrible things deserve to be "history".

i'd like to see that statue replaced by a memorial to the people killed and enslaved.

i had a fucking breakdown at the auschwitz memorial in amsterdam. if there had been a statue of mengele i would have loved to tear it down myself.

From:

cellio

Yes, this.

From:

rachelmanija

And yet somehow I managed to learn about the Holocaust without having statues of Hitler in my town.

From:

amaebi

That is such a great riposte. Thank you.

From:

cjsmith

I'm glad it's gone. May it happen to many other monuments to slavers.

I presume you saw the Google Maps indication and the Wikipedia note (the latter of which keeps morphing):

https://twitter.com/harry_bligh/status/1269654738200600576

From:

redbird

Thanks for pointing that out; the "closed" label is a nice touch.

From:

minoanmiss

cackles in delight

From:

cjsmith

Isn't that SUPERB? I swear, I squealed when I first saw it.

There's a map of "monuments that have to go" in the UK, but I can't find a link to it any more. @#$! the Twitter UI. If I see it again, I'll send it your way. It's glorious.

... FOUND IT! https://www.toppletheracists.org/

Edited Date: 2020-06-10 04:26 am (UTC)

From:

princessofgeeks

\o/

A couple of years ago my city changed the name of a public school that had been named for Lee.

I was very happy.

From:

acelightning

You're an artist. Design that monument. And sing "Amazing Grace" while you do so. I was amazed when I learned that the song was written by a man who had been the captain of a slave ship; he prayed for forgiveness when his ship was battered by a storm, and the spiritual experience he had then led him to leave the Royal Navy and go to divinity school, and write the words that we all know... "Amazing Grace, that saved a wretch like me..."

I praise all your ancestors, the ones who had the strength to survive enslavement and being shipped across the ocean, and the ones who found freedom in whatever way they could. Juneteenth is next week. I praise everyone who had a part in the emancipation and enlightenment of the entire HUMAN race (the only race on this planet) And may that process continue until every human being is recognized as an individual with the rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". I praise all the abolitionists who helped to dismantle the institution of slavery. I praise you, dear friend, for being outspoken and bringing these thoughts to light.

From:

minoanmiss

*hugs you tightly*

I think they should simply make a statue of the awesome man who knelt on the plinth, one fist raised.

From:

acelightning

What a powerful image!

From:

kore

A little OT but did you see this?? The Compton Cowboys! Brianna Noble!

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/09/us/black-cowboys-protests-compton.html

Historically, horses have been used by elite military units and law enforcement as a way to show authority, their visibility, height and commanding nature a symbol of power.

That black horse riders exist in these metropolitan cities, however, should not come as a surprise — one out of every four cowboys during the 19th century was of African-American descent.

From:

minoanmiss

I did see Brianna Noble but not this article about her! Thank you!

From:

kore

//hugs you

From:

darkmarcy

Where was it...Something along the lines of "We tried to get his statue down via official channels, but nothing happened, so we put him in the channel ourselves"

From:

cmcmck

Even the local chief of police was heard to say at the time that he was 'relieved' that the statue was finally gone.

And he's said since he was proud of those who did the job.

The Tories are pleased- not. I find it dreadfully ironic that Priti Patel who is threatening to carpet him is a WoC herself............

From:

cmcmck

You may not be aware of the story of the bridge they threw him off and I think you'll like this. The bridge is named after Pero Jones- Pero's Bridge.

Pero Jones was an 18th century slave who lived and died in Bristol. It's thought he came originally from Nevis.

Someone knows their local history for sure! :o)

From:

swingandswirl

Good riddance to bad rubbish, and may the bastard be the first of many.

(The lionisation of Churchill, who at least did a few useful things in addition to being responsible for the deaths of who knows how many brown folk, sets my teeth on edge. I can't even imagine how Black folk deal with the asshattery that is statues of people who sold their ancestors for profit.)

As for erasing history... I'd say he taught more people about Britain's past after being toppled than he ever did sitting pretty, so.

From:

minoanmiss

UGH Churchill. I was LIVID when I learned, as an adult, about the four million people he starved to death in Bengal. Why wasn't I taught about this alongside the other genocides of WWII? growls

And yeah, I can feel my melanin ache whenever I see a picture of a statuue of some Confederate luminary. I'm glad people are finally getting rid of them, in fits and starts.

From:

amaebi

Amen.

From:

judo100

Agreed! Let's set up some statues to women, and especially women of color, who were important in their communities. WAY beyond time to do so!

From:

minoanmiss

STATUE OF MARY SEACOLE!

From:

acelightning

There's a project going on in New York City to put up statues of women who did important things. The list includes Shirley Chisholm and quite a few other women of color.

From:

judo100

I'm delighted to hear about these statues! Women of color have been ignored far too long. All women have too, but we should particularly honor those of color right now.

From:

acelightning

Sometimes NYC gets stuff right :-)

From:

acelightning

Well, there's Lady Liberty in the harbor, and there's the Brave Girl on in front of the Stock Exchange... yeah, we need more statues!

From:

judo100

Agreed, more women statues! Men get statues for just using the good old boy network and rising to the top -- then being cast in metal for doing so. Women can do great things and never get noticed.

Neither Lady Liberty nor the Brave Girl are actual women, either. They are still male "ideals" of women, not real women who did anything. We need 200 years of women deciding who should be in statues, hiring women artists to build them, and featuring extraordinary women from every walk of life. THEN we'd really see some great statues!

From:

acelightning

The statue of the Fearless Girl certainly looks like an actual child, not an idealized image of girlhood. I can't seem to track down whether the sculptor used a child he knew as a model for the statue, and if so, what was she like. But there's a certain age bracket during which children realize that they are people, and they have the right and the power to speak up for themselves, despite their personal fears and all the things they've been told to be afraid of. Fearless Girl was originally located in front of the Charging Bull of Wall Street, facing down the muscular symbol of aggressive capitalism. (The sculptor of the Bull made the sculptor of the Girl move her to a different location, because her presence changed the symbolism of the bull.)

I want to say to that young girl, "You must be tired of standing there. C'mon, let me buy you an ice cream."

Edited Date: 2020-06-18 09:31 am (UTC)