The fallen statue of slave trader Edward Colston is among the items on display at M Shed’s newly extended exhibition about the history of protest in Bristol.
Black Lives Matter marches in June 2020 saw protestors pull down the statue and throw it into the floating harbour. It was then temporarily housed at M Shed whilst a survey asked the city what should happen next to the statue.
Alumni and staff from UWE Bristol were at the centre of these debates and decision-making processes; being represented on both the We Are Bristol History Commission – responsible for the public consultation, and the working group at M Shed – which fed into the development of the protest exhibition, including the display of the statue.
Dr Roger Griffith MBE, Professor Shawn Sobers, Associate Professor Estella Tincknell, Dr Edson Burton MBE (PhD, 2005), and Olumide Osinoiki (BA(Hons) Photography, 2020) all played an important role in co-curating this important exhibition.
They shared their views on this work and the crucial conversations it explores about racial injustice in Bristol and more widely.