Edinburgh Slavery and Colonialism Legacy Review

Overview

Building on long-standing efforts of City of Edinburgh Council, equalities-focussed organisations and individuals, and protests in support of the global Black Lives Matter movement, in July 2020 the Council’s Policy and Sustainability Committee agreed a set of actions to address historic racial injustice and stem modern day discrimination.

Its report stated: “Committee recognises… that cities, including Edinburgh, should acknowledge and address their roles in perpetuating racism and oppression in the past as part of the process of challenging it in the present.”

A number of actions were agreed for immediate implementation, including the establishment of an independent Review to consider and make recommendations on how to address Edinburgh’s slavery and colonialism legacy in the civic realm. This work is being led by Sir Geoff Palmer, who chairs a Review Group made up of people from diverse backgrounds who live or work in Edinburgh, including those with experience in equalities, academia, culture and conservation.

The findings from the consultation will inform the Review Group’s recommendations and will feature in a report to be brought to Council committee in 2022. This will help the Council decide which actions it will consider, and what the priorities for change might be.

Why your views matter

The Review Group wants to hear your thoughts about the most constructive ways that the city could address issues of historic racial injustice as a means to stem modern-day discrimination.

It is also seeking views about a selection of prominent features in the public realm including monuments, street names and buildings, which it considers representative of the many aspects of Edinburgh life and society shaped by the city’s legacy of slavery and colonialism.

In addition to this online consultation, the Review Group is working with schools across the city and hosting discussion sessions with Edinburgh-based community groups directly impacted by this legacy in the present.