Black Lives Matter: Why has Hertfordshire's Rhodes Arts Complex come under fire?
Campaigners are calling for a theatre in Hertfordshire to be renamed amid national anti-racism demonstrations.
The Rhodes Arts Complex in Bishop's Stortford takes its name from 19th-century businessman and politician Cecil Rhodes, who was born in the town. Rhodes Avenue, near the theatre, was also named after Rhodes, as is one of the houses at The Bishop's Stortford High School.
In the wake of national Black Lives Matter protests, thousands have signed petitions for the Rhodes Arts Complex to be renamed. One such petition, which had over 2,000 signatures at the time of writing, said the theatre should drop Rhodes' name as he was a "horrible, murderous racist".
Why is Cecil Rhodes so controversial?
Rhodes was one of most well-known imperialists of the 19th century. During this time, he led the annexation of huge amounts of land in southern Africa.
In 1877, he wrote: "I contend that [the British] are the finest race in the world and that the more of the world we inhabit the better it is for the human race".
Many of his detractors view Rhodes as a racist who, by changing voting and land ownership laws in South Africa, paved the way for apartheid. He also led soldiers in a war that saw the British colonise the countries now known as Zimbabwe and Zambia. The countries even took his name, they were called Southern and Northern Rhodesia.
His supporters point to the Rhodes scholarships. The colonialist left millions to a trust which helps students from Germany, the USA, and the commonwealth study at Oxford University. Some celebrate Rhodes' role in rapidly expanding the British Empire, but even at the time of his death, his legacy was controversial. "At best his conception of civilisation was empirical, if not vulgar," The Guardian said in its 1902 obituary of Rhodes.
Why are people calling for the theatre to be renamed now?
Protests for the Black Lives Matter movement have escalated across the country following the death of black American George Floyd last month.
Anti-racist demonstrations in the UK aim to draw attention to racial inequalities not only across the Atlantic, but here too.
Last week, demonstrators in Bristol toppled the statue of Edward Colston, a wealthy slave trader who died 300 years ago.
One petition to rename the Rhodes Arts Complex took inspiration from the Bristol protestors. "The actions of the citizens of Bristol in ridding their city of its horrible blight of racist statues this week has been commendable and inspirational," organiser Rhys Giles wrote.
"Many of the problems of Southern Africa are almost solely due to [Rhodes'] legacy. But still, in 2020, in our diverse and (hopefully) welcoming town, we have an arts complex that's named after him. Are we supposed to be proud of this man?"
What about other places named after Rhodes in Bishop's Stortford?
There have also been recent calls for The Bishop's Stortford High School to change the name of its Rhodes house.
Some tweeted that they had contacted the school directly to demand the renaming. "I wrote to [The Bishop's Stortford High School] about this yesterday", Drew Gregg said, in response to a post promoting the Rhodes Arts Complex petition. "It's been a long time coming."
A further petition set up by Louise Buckmaster has demanded a name change for Rhodes Avenue, as well as the Rhodes Arts Complex.
"By retaining his name on community projects and roads throughout the town, we are immortalising him and in essence condoning what he did", Ms Buckmaster wrote. As of Tuesday afternoon, her petition had reached over 1,000.
How have Bishop's Stortford's institutions responded to these calls?
Both the Rhodes Arts Complex and The Bishop's Stortford High School have released statements in response to recent criticism.
The theatre said that before George Floyd's death, it had already made the decision to change its name. An online letter said The Rhodes Birthplace Trust, which runs the theatre, was in the process of converting to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). According to Trust Chair Dierdre Glasgow, this included plans to rename the Trust and the theatre.
She said: "We are already actively engaged in an ongoing process that will enable us to make sure that whatever future name for the complex is decided on, it will be one that has been chosen in consultation with our many visitors and supporters and is truly reflective of the wishes of our local community."
Meanwhile, The Bishop's Stortford High School has said their senior leadership team is having a meeting on Tuesday night to discuss potentially changing the name of Rhodes house.
On the school website, Headteacher Mr Reeve wrote that the school had discussed reconsidering the name before lockdown, but the subsequent closure of the school halted these talks.
"Given the recent events in the US and the related protests in numerous countries, we feel it right to revisit this important issue with the student body as part of our remote learning programme", he said.