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| Nuropho, GETTY IMAGES, thanks to Huffington Post |
As a Bristolian, I waited for friends (and boyfriends) many times under the statue of Colston in the centre of the city. It was a famous landmark useful for rendezvous. Nobody thought very long or hard about who Colston was, as we stood there as teenagers, but we knew he’d poured his money into the ciry in the early seventeenth century, creating schools, almshouses, hospitals and churches, many of which survive to this day. As deputy governor of the Royal Africa Company, he made money in spades through the transportation of men, women and children into the Caribbean and America…if they got there at all…many died on the way. The ghastly nature of his work clearly didn’t bother Colston. He believed he was a religious and righteous man.
When I heard he’d sunk the the bottom of the harbour he’d help build for the trade in slavery, I felt nothing but relief. He’d become a running sore in Bristol, as people debated whether to change the names of places such as The Colston Hall; he is now a symbol not of philanthropy, but of cruel injustice.. I'm glad he’s gone, and that is not just because 'times change'. It’s because as time moves on (and be fair it’s a very long time since he died), the story evolves, we more clearly can see the long-lasting damage that was done during the slave trade. Black Americans still face a country of white supremacy. It’s subtle, but ithere in the knee that pressed on George Floyd's a neck. And in the UK, we have huge amounts to be ashamed of as recently as the ongoing fight for justice over the Windrush Scandal, and the demostrable and recorded disproportionate use of force, including Tasers.
For some reason that is not fully clear to me, the characters I write about usually come into my head fully-formed, and they are often people of colour. My first children’s book Sweet’n’Sour is about a Malaysian boy of Chinese origin. My Shaman Mystery Series features Sabbie Dare, who is of mixed race.
My second book for 9+ readers, Just my Luck, is a mystery story in which two Bristolian kids, Brandon and Helen, discover their links to nine year old Jake Silver, who was brought from a plantation in the Caribbean to Bristol as a slave boy to serve an 18th century household...and then escapes...
As Brandon learns of the courage Jake showed 200 years ago, he understands how the events in his life are linked, and how his actions lead him to the sort of luck he deserves. He puts his fears to one side – understanding that, in life, you make your own good luck.
With an upbeat and fast-paced style and hard-hitting storyline, Just My Luck appeals to a wide audience across the diverse ethnicity of middle schoolchildren; its historical content and the way it tackles the subject of racial violence head-on also recommends it to teachers, parents and librarians.
I’m pleased to announce, that due to interest in the story in these current times, Just My Luck is going to be re-released as a paperback. The Kindle edition is out on the 1st July and available NOW for PREORDER at Amazon by clicking here
POSTSCRIPT;
Edward has now finished his swim and soon will be exhibited in Bristol Museum, along with the #blacklivesmatter placards that had been left in his place. This is an important move. We shouldn't hide from our own history, and a museum is the right place for him to reside now.
