The University of Bristol is to remove the dolphin emblem of merchant and slave trader Edward Colston from its logo.
It comes after Colston’s city centre statue was pulled down and thrown into the harbour during a protest in 2020. The university will, however, leave the names of buildings named after people with slave trade links.
Vice-chancellor and president Professor Evelyn Welch announced the decision in an open letter in which she also apologised to those who had experienced racism at the uni.
A survey revealed a history of such behaviour, she added. She said: “I am deeply sorry for these damaging and hurtful experiences which continue to the present day, and I apologise to everyone impacted by those injustices. We aspire to be an inclusive institution and we must do better.”
Over the next 10 years, the university will pledge £10 million to develop a programme to address racial injustice and inequalities internally and in local communities it works with. This programme, Reparative Futures, will also present the university’s founders’ historical links to slavery.
Yesterday’s announcement follows a public consultation over the past 12 months which centred on whether seven buildings should be renamed. They included the Wills Memorial Building, named after the Wills family of tobacco producers considered the founding family of the university.
Also included is the Fry Building, named to reflect donations from the chocolate-producing family.
