Statue of Black Lives Matter Protester Jen Reid Temporarily Replaced Slave Owner’s Plinth in Bristol
ShutterstockA resin-and-steel statue of Black Lives Matter protester Jen Reid has temporarily replaced the sculpture of 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol, England.The Black Lives Matter movement has crossed over into international waters, even more so since the senseless violence against Black Americans George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner and Sandra Bland.
ShutterstockThe movement has turned into civil unrest and change, as protests and marches have erupted in city streets around the world. What is more surprising is seeing people tear down nationally known statues of slave owners and traders.
ShutterstockOn June 7, after the original bronze statue of Colston was pulled down and dumped into the city harbor, Reid took to the plinth to stand proudly in its place. British sculptor Marc Quinn contacted her after the event to recreate a steel statued version of her pose for the world to see. The statue is called Surge of Power (Jen Reid) 2020.
Reid was surprised and excited to see the final product. “Looking back on that moment, it just gives me goose-pimples,” she said to the New York Times. “Marc has just captured all of it in the statue.”
“She created this iconic image,” Quinn added. “I’m just amplifying the moment she created.”
That moment you see your friend from teenage days Jenny get a sculpture made of her by world famous artist Marc Quinn, gets featured in national press, all before you’ve even gotten out of bed!! 2020 is the gift that keeps on giving!! https://t.co/PEANq7mHNq
— Dr Shawn Sobers (@shawnsobers) July 15, 2020
It was great working with Marc Quinn on this. The statue of Edward Colston had just been sucessfuly replaced with a sculpture of Jen Reid; a Bristolian BLM protestor. pic.twitter.com/T5PJGJ5mwY
— Hassan Akkad حسان عقاد (@hassan_akkad) July 15, 2020
People online have been signing petitions to keep Reid’s statue permanently.
RT if you think the statue of the #BlackLivesMatter campaigner in Bristol should remain there permanently. pic.twitter.com/jicFSOd4wV
— Damian from Brighton (@damian_from) July 15, 2020
Not only is this a good example for the BLM movement, but it is also a reflection for how people should treat each other. If you would like to sign the petition to make the statue of Reid permanent, visit change.org.
