Slave trader’s new plaque will pay tribute to his victims

EDWARD COLSTON’S statue in Bristol could have a new plaque paying tribute to slaves, under plans being considered by the city council.

The legacy of Colston, a slave trader, has been a bone of contention in Bristol for years, with some schools and institutions named after him deciding to change their names. Now a new plaque that will draw attention to Bristol’s historical role in the slave trade is to be placed on the statue on Colston Avenue, according to the BBC.

The plaque has been a long time coming, says Ros Martin, one of the driving forces behind the Countering Colston campaign group.

“The plaque is good but we need it to be part of an ongoing examination of historical narrative and a change of attitudes and culture,” she said. “What we want goes beyond tokenism – we want institutions and organisations in the city to examine their history and acknowledge their individual roles in the slave trade and beyond.”

Pete Insole, the council’s historic environment officer, said the people who were exploited by Colston were “invisible” in Bristol. He is helping to coordinate events during the summer about the city’s links to the slave trade, culminating in the unveiling of the plaque.

He told the BBC: “Slave traders are the most commemorated people in the city; we can’t change the past but we can change the present and the future.”

Colston Hall announced it was severing any connection with the slave trader in April last year, after Massive Attack refused to play at their hometown venue.