Black History Month: Can Bristol do better?
Ubuntu Thoughts / Article / 6 min read
October 26, 2022
Callum Berry
Social & Media Manager
Social & Media Manager
As the only *true* Bristolian amongst our office staff, it naturally fell to me to cover our final piece for our Black History Month series on Bristol’s relationship with its Black citizens.
As a white man, I am by far under qualified to be telling this story as it's not my lived experience, however I will endeavour to do my best to give an objective view of the matter.
For those not au fait with UK geography, Bristol is a city in the South West of the UK that prides itself on ‘liberal’ virtues. Around election time, the sea of ‘blue’ voting constituencies that make up a lot of the south of the country — including The Chew Valley and Bath — are broken up by relatively small, red clusters including that which represents the anti-conservative people of Bristol. With a thriving art scene and multi-cultural hotspots akin to the suburbs of London, the majority of citizens (especially younger generations) also tend to have increasingly progressive views on things such as racism, sexuality and gender identity.
However, despite the city effectively self-branding itself as a place for everyone, I would argue that Bristol still skews heavily white. The numbers back this up, with 84% of the population classified as White, 6% Black, 5% Asian, 3% Mixed race and 0.3% Arab. It’s this imbalance between races — and accentuated by the diverse socio-economic diversity we also see — that has also created a city that has its issues with racism running back through generations. On a personal note, my Malaysian in-laws visited recently, and said that whilst the city was lovely, they’d never experienced as many racist micro-aggressions compared to visiting more diverse cities such as London or even Cardiff.
For those not au fait with UK geography, Bristol is a city in the South West of the UK that prides itself on ‘liberal’ virtues. Around election time, the sea of ‘blue’ voting constituencies that make up a lot of the south of the country — including The Chew Valley and Bath — are broken up by relatively small, red clusters including that which represents the anti-conservative people of Bristol. With a thriving art scene and multi-cultural hotspots akin to the suburbs of London, the majority of citizens (especially younger generations) also tend to have increasingly progressive views on things such as racism, sexuality and gender identity.
However, despite the city effectively self-branding itself as a place for everyone, I would argue that Bristol still skews heavily white. The numbers back this up, with 84% of the population classified as White, 6% Black, 5% Asian, 3% Mixed race and 0.3% Arab. It’s this imbalance between races — and accentuated by the diverse socio-economic diversity we also see — that has also created a city that has its issues with racism running back through generations. On a personal note, my Malaysian in-laws visited recently, and said that whilst the city was lovely, they’d never experienced as many racist micro-aggressions compared to visiting more diverse cities such as London or even Cardiff.
Slaves and statues: Bristol’s dark past
You don’t have to look too far back in history to see this sad truth. There’s no escaping the fact that Bristol played a huge role in the Atlantic Slave Trade. Edward Colston — long considered a philanthropist and local hero — poured thousands of pounds (millions in today’s money) not only into developing the city’s infrastructure, but also to bolster its slave trade through the Bristol African Company for which he was briefly the governor. He made a staggering amount of personal profit from the vile and cruel transportation and selling off of African people, many of whom did not survive.
Colston certainly wasn’t alone in his profiting, however he has become a symbol of the atrocities of the time in a city that has long been pushing for social justice. In 2020, his bronze statue that had stood for 124 years was toppled amid the 2020 Black Lives Matter, protests sparked by the murder of George Flloyd in the USA. The statue was then thrown into the harbour by protesters in an act that split the city: while younger generations celebrated it as an act of anti-racism, the move was vilified by the typically older, more conservative generations who saw it as vandalism.
What we must remember, however, is that whichever side you land, the reality remains that Colston was one of the biggest symbols of slavery in Britain. Objectively, there have been multiple petitions over the years to have his statue removed from the city centre, none of which have ever been actioned.
Colston certainly wasn’t alone in his profiting, however he has become a symbol of the atrocities of the time in a city that has long been pushing for social justice. In 2020, his bronze statue that had stood for 124 years was toppled amid the 2020 Black Lives Matter, protests sparked by the murder of George Flloyd in the USA. The statue was then thrown into the harbour by protesters in an act that split the city: while younger generations celebrated it as an act of anti-racism, the move was vilified by the typically older, more conservative generations who saw it as vandalism.
What we must remember, however, is that whichever side you land, the reality remains that Colston was one of the biggest symbols of slavery in Britain. Objectively, there have been multiple petitions over the years to have his statue removed from the city centre, none of which have ever been actioned.
History isn’t always black and white
While some may argue that we shouldn’t be ‘attempting to erase history,’ it’s important to distinguish between education and memorialising. It’s by educating ourselves and generations to come of the horrors of the past, that we can ensure such atrocities never happen again. Statues may play a role in that, however we must also remember that Black people in Bristol have had to walk past the symbol that, to them, represents the pain and suffering that their own ancestors endured.
For the city, change is happening. Venues including ‘Colston Hall’ and ‘Colston Girls School’ have been renamed to remove the connection with their benefactor — a move that has been generally well received. For me personally, the removal of the statue was a sign of solidarity between every colour and race in Bristol; a symbol that racism in Bristol will no longer be tolerated.
For the city, change is happening. Venues including ‘Colston Hall’ and ‘Colston Girls School’ have been renamed to remove the connection with their benefactor — a move that has been generally well received. For me personally, the removal of the statue was a sign of solidarity between every colour and race in Bristol; a symbol that racism in Bristol will no longer be tolerated.
For a city still grieving, what’s next?
Opportunities like Black History Month, or the rise of Black Lives Matter, are often poignant times to reflect on where we’ve come, and importantly, where we’re going. But they can also feel like fleeting periods that intersperse ‘business as usual.’
So what are some practical steps that we can all take as Black History Month draws to a close for another year? There have been some truly insightful pieces in recent years across publications on the reality of systemic racism in our country — a reminder that race bias remains and that self-reflection should be high on our personal agenda.
But there are practical things we can do too. We need to better listen and hear Black voices across business and culture and encourage contribution and input to help us shape a forward-thinking society. Investing in Black-owned local businesses is also a great place to start — Afrobiz has created a list you may find useful here. We also recommend checking out the work of Black and Green Ambassadors, an organisation doing amazing work in connecting and empowering diverse leadership in Bristol.
Bristol will always be my home, and I hope it can do better by all of its citizens.
So what are some practical steps that we can all take as Black History Month draws to a close for another year? There have been some truly insightful pieces in recent years across publications on the reality of systemic racism in our country — a reminder that race bias remains and that self-reflection should be high on our personal agenda.
But there are practical things we can do too. We need to better listen and hear Black voices across business and culture and encourage contribution and input to help us shape a forward-thinking society. Investing in Black-owned local businesses is also a great place to start — Afrobiz has created a list you may find useful here. We also recommend checking out the work of Black and Green Ambassadors, an organisation doing amazing work in connecting and empowering diverse leadership in Bristol.
Bristol will always be my home, and I hope it can do better by all of its citizens.
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