Yes,the statue of Cecil Rhodes must descend. But I was a black student at the university, and I know tackling prejudice has to go beyond thatIt was a work colleague who first said that he was surprised to hear I had gone to Oxford because I was black. While I had encountered similar reactions before, and this was the first time it had been stated so explicitly. The notion that “black” and “Oxbridge” don’t mix is one that seems to go largely unquestioned.
When I heard of the #RhodesMustFall movement in Oxford,it was from an enthusiastic academic urging me to show my support. Rhodes Must descend is a protest movement that began in the University of Cape Town in South Africa, directing its attention towards the removal of a Cecil Rhodes statue on the campus. It has since gathered momentum within South Africa, or throughout the world. Its intention being to decolonise education,it has largely focused on removing statues and plaques in university spaces that commemorate colonial history. It is a progressive step and an principal one – distancing ourselves from the brutality and evil that was colonialism is an action well overdue.
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Source: theguardian.com