Mar 3rd, 2017
Renaming Colston Hall
By Rachel Whalley
Edward Colston made millions selling people as slaves – including children as young as six. History shouldn’t be erased. But right now, one of Bristol’s music venues is celebrating a slave trader. Katie thinks it’s time to celebrate the city’s true heroes, so she’s started a campaign to rename Colston Hall.
Katie’s campaign has made headlines and bands have even cancelled gigs. Now the venue’s bosses have said they’ll look into changing the name, but nothing’s been decided yet. A huge petition would prove people don’t want to celebrate a slave trader. It could convince them to change the name of Colston Hall – fast.
If you believe we should celebrate people who have been forces for good, not slave traders, then please sign the petition now. It takes less than a minute:
Here’s what Katie says:
“Colston transported around 100,000 enslaved Africans to plantations in the West Indies and America.
“This included women and children as young as six – each enslaved person was branded with the company’s initials on their chest. More than 20,000 enslaved Africans were killed during the crossings. Their bodies were thrown overboard. Colston became a millionaire from this so-called ‘business’.”
As 38 Degrees members we stand for equality – people who hurt or attack others should not be celebrated. That’s why when Donald Trump attacked people based on their religion and gender during his presidential campaign, thousands of us pushed for a Scottish university to strip him of an honorary degree. And we won!
We can do the same in Bristol. But first, we need more people to get involved.
Can you add you add your name to the petition right now?
