Artist Marc Quinn led the construction of the statue of Black Lives Matter activist Jen Reid. The secret mission was to replace the statue of slave trader Edward Colston to a much more hopeful one. Even though, the statue itself represented a symbol of hope and no more oppression to the minority community, not everyone was happy about it.
What we know:
- The statue of Black Lives Matter activist can be found in Bristol in England where a protest took place as well as the removal of the previous statue on June 7th. Jen Reid was part of the protests and stood where the statue was once located with an empowering message of “A Surge of Power”.
- Many Twitter followers took on their social platforms and stated the following:
This looks great but can we arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor https://t.co/fDzAU8jCCf
— Bougie (@blm_bougie) July 15, 2020
- When asked about her feelings when they took down the statue of Edward Colston she said the following:
“My immediate thoughts were for the enslaved people who died at the hands of Colston and to give them power. I wanted to give George Floyd power, I wanted to give power to Black people like me who have suffered injustices and inequality. A surge of power out to them all.”
- However, many residents as well as local authorities stated that the sculpture was installed without formal permission and many were hoping that vacant spot would be given to a Black artist instead of a white one.
- Artist Quinn stated that he understands the sculpture would not be there permanently but felt at that time was a ripe for direct action against systemic racism. Jen and Quinn are hoping that this ignites a spark to bring continuous attention to this pressing issue.
It has been stated if the sculpture is eventually sold the profits will be donated to two charities that focus on building Black British history into the national curriculum. R
ecent update: The Black Lives Matter statue has been taken down on Thursday at 5:00 p.m and Mayor Marvin Rees said it was up to the people of Bristol to decide what would replace Colston’s statue.