Cambridge University College spent £120,000 on This failed attempt to remove the memorial in its chapel until the 17th century century benefactor who was widely involved in slave tradeit appeared.
Letter in Keeper, Sonita Alleyn, Master of Jesus College, defended decision to fight case and criticized the “outdated” church process, which ended in defeat for college.
The controversial memorial was the subject of three day trial in February where the college was required get permission from the diocese of Eli remove the plaque from the chapel wall where it held the members back of in community from worship and move it to another place in college.
alleyne, who This first black master of Oxbridge College, said that after research exposed degree of Tobias Rustat 30-year participation in transatlantic slave trade vast majority of comrades voted in service of obtain permission to move the memorial.
“It seemed simple,” Alleyne writes. “In terms of morality of view, Rustat’s activities helped fund slave factories on the West African coast. This allowed the ships to carry dozens of thousands of enslaved women, children and men through the Middle Passage. And it led to these people working on death in in killing fields of Caribbean and America”.
However, last month a consistory court ruled that the objection to the memorial was based on “a false storytelling” on scale of in financial rewards Rustat benefited from slavery and ordered that the memorial should remain in chapel. Jesus College has since decided against appeal, but called on temple of England to find better way of problem solving of racial injustice and contested heritage.
“There were no questions, we had to fight this case,” Alleyn said. “In doing so, the college spent around £120,000. on an outdated process that had no choice but to follow, dominated by lawyers, and poorly designed for solving sensitive issues of racial justice and contested heritage. The Church needs to develop something better than this.”
According to Alleyn, throughout the process she felt that the monument to Rustam was given away. more weighs more than 150,000 African people he helped sell into slavery. “Having considered the court decision, I believe that this process is incapable of of Accounting for lived experience of people of Colour in Britain Today.
She compared the dispute of Rustat with objection to admission of students to the university. “Only two generations ago, women students were admitted for in first time,” she said. “Opponents referred to 483 years of only for men access among other harsh criticisms. Their arguments turned out to be untenable. Buildings have been redesigned and new established conventions and traditions. As a result, the college is more fair and far more academically interesting today.”
She is added: “I’m proud to be a master of institution like Jesus College. Quiet discussion and conversation started by the guys in May 2019 did not ignore complex subjects and this course of action. this is part of our walk to justice. It matters to Jesus College and it should matter to the Church. of England.”
Many senior numbers in temple of England including the archbishop of Canterbury, expressed their support for Alleyn and relocation of memorial.