13 statues that stand on the right side of history, from Rosa Parks to Nelson Mandela
- Around the world, countries are reckoning with the past and the historical figures chosen to represent it
- But not all who are commemorated need to come down – these activists, academics and political leaders are welcome to stay
There has also been a vote to remove Oxford University’s statue of imperialist Cecil Rhodes, perhaps moving it to a museum, where his legacy can be discussed rather than lauded.
Britain in particular is wrestling with its collective conscience over the issue of who it commemorates and how. Of the nation’s 828 public statues, only 174 are female and it wasn’t until 2016 that the country had its first memorial to a named black woman – the Crimean war nurse Mary Seacole, who has long been overshadowed by her contemporary Florence Nightingale.
Here are some other statues of historical figures that are likely to remain on the right side of history.
Member of Parliament for Yorkshire, William Wilberforce supported the campaign for eradicating slave trading in Britain. In 1825, he retired from politics due to ill health but the tireless social reformer continued to lobby on behalf of those who were already enslaved and, in 1833, the year he died, an act was passed granting freedom to all slaves in the British Empire.