Giving Compass' Take:

• Rhodri Davies discusses statues, slavery and tainted donations in regards to philanthropy and the current state of our world. 

• What role does philanthropy play in shaping our historical narratives of issues like slavery?

• Here's an article on confederate statues and the will of archaic land deeds. 

Statues and slavery have been very much in the news in recent weeks. The toppling of the long-controversial effigy of Edward Colston into Bristol Harbour by Black Lives Matter protestors has led to many other towns, cities and institutions grappling with their own historical links with the slave trade.

This new wave of reckoning has so far seen a statue of slave trader Robert Milligan removed from London’s Docklands; Oxford University’s Oriel College announce their support for the removal of a memorial to colonialist Cecil Rhodes; and a number of venerable companies such as the brewer Greene King and the insurance market Lloyds of London announce they are to offer new support to groups supporting BAME communities and seeking racial justice in recognition of their own past links to slavery.

This has generated a huge amount of debate about the best way to acknowledge and come to terms with problematic parts of our country’s history. In some ways I am loath to add to this debate because there is a real danger that it becomes part of a wider culture war and thus distracts from the much more pressing issue of dealing with the blight of systemic racism and injustice that is at the heart of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Statues
Let’s focus first on the specific issue of problematic statues and why this matters for philanthropy.

Our starting point here should be to recognise that statues are not neutral objects that somehow spring forth from the living earth to depict historical events in an entirely objective way. Rather they are subjective representations, designed by people with a particular purpose in mind and reflecting the context of their creation. So we always need to ask a series of basic questions including: When was this statue erected? Why was it erected? And who paid for it?

Tainted Money
Statues and commemorations of problematic past philanthropists clearly raise a whole host of issues, but if we assume for a minute that we can put such considerations to one side ─ either because we have solved those problems or simply because we are dealing with instances in which there is no suggestion of celebration ─ we are still left with thorny questions about how to deal with any philanthropic assets that such donors left behind. When it comes to slavery, plenty of organisations that have been around for a long time may well have connections with individuals who have questionable links.

Read the full article about philanthropy and past sins by Rhodri Davies at Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).