ENGLISH BANKS AND THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND APOLOGISE FOR SLAVERY CONNECTIONS

Central  Bank of England London

The UK's Central Bank and the Church of England have both apologised for the role of some of their leaders played in the slave trade.  Former Bank of England governor and directors profited from slavery, as did a bishop and thousands of clergymen. 

 

The bank said it would safeguard that images of people who were involved with slavery are not shown in its buildings.  The Church described its history as "a source of shame".  "Slavery and exploitation have no place in society," a Church spokeswoman said. 

Pub chains Greene King's organisers and insurance market Lloyd's of London have apologised for their past associations with slavery.  One of the Greene King's founders owned a number of plantations in the Caribbean and maritime insurance which was focused on Lloyd's thrived on the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

Both organisations have apologised and Lloyd's has said it will donate to charities representing black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, BAME.

Greene King said it would make a "substantial investment to benefit the BAME community, after consulting with its staff on how this money can best be used. Lloyd's which was founded in 1688, insured slave ships.  It is often praised as the world's leading insurance company, focusing on special areas, such as marine, energy and political risk.  

In a statement, Lloyd's said: "There are some aspects of our history that we are not proud of. In particular, we are sorry for the role played by Lloyd's in the 18th and 19th centuries slave trade, This was an appalling  and shameful period of English history, as well as our own, and we condemn the indefensible wrongdoings that occurred during this period."  Llyod's said it would provide financial support to charities and organisations for BAME groups.   It has also launched a number of instructors aimed at deloping black and ethnic talent within the organisation.  "In recent years Lloyd's has driven ahead with a series of positive programmes designed to improve culture across the markets.  We have made progress, but not enough."  

Pressure has been growing on companies around the world to address connections to slavery and tackle racial inequality following the death of George Floyd in the USA, last month, by the police. 

"Racism, the ideology used to justify slavery, is a legacy that still shapes the life and chances of the African and Caribbean heritage in the UK," said Dr.Katie Donintgton, a senior lecturer at the London South Bank  University.  "It is an important step that firms with historical links to trans-Atlantic slavery and are now beginning the process of acknowledging the  past."    According to the BBC, Oriel College in Oxford has announced that it wants to take down the controversial statue of Cecil Rhodes.

The Statue of  Cecil Rhodes, Oriel College, Oxford  University ...

The governors of Oxford University College voted to remove the statue of the colonialist. Campaigners have called for the statue to be taken down, saying it was a symbol of imperialism and racism.  The removal is not expected to be immediate as the college says there will need to have consultations over planning regulations.  The Rhodes statue must fall said the announcement, and it was "hopeful" that it would but warned that conditions will remain until the college had actually carried out the removal.  

In a statement saying that until "the Rodes statue ceases to adorn the facade of Oriel College on Oxford's High Street, there will still be protests over imperial and colonial iconographies"  in university buildings.  

In the commotion over the statue of Cecil Rhodes the head of Oxford University has warned: "against hiding our history".  Protesters went to pull down Oriel College's statue of the 19th-century imperialist saying "It is a symbol of imperialism and racism".  

But vice-chancellor Luise Richardson said that the views of the past have to be seen with the context of the time. "We need to confirm our past but it has to be seen with the context of time. We need to confirm our past we need to learn from it", said Professor Richardson.  After the removal of the statue of the slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol attention was switched to other statues including that of Cecil Rhodes in Oxford, commemorating the Victorian imperialist, businessman and founder of scholarships. 

The statue as mentioned above belongs to Oriel College, rather than the university and Prof. Richardson said she wants to give a "binary" view on whether to remove it.   But she gave no indication of backing protester warnings to take down the statue, "instead of warning against trying to hide the past and calling for recognition that views of their time" said Prof. Richardson.   In the era of Cecil Rhodes, support for imperialism had been prevailing views.  When looking at the attitudes and actions of the past, she asked: "Do we use the ethics of today or do we use the morals and ethics of the time in  which they lived?"  

But she said that the focus of the University was not on statues from the past,  but on the experience of students in the present, adding that the number of the black and the ethnic minority student have fortunately risen.