Review, Rename, Reclaim
Review, Rename, Reclaim is a collaboration between us, community leaders, cultural experts, historians, teachers and young people.
In June 2020, we launched a review to listen and understand the views of residents, partners and others about what was memorialised and how this was no longer appropriate in an anti-racist borough where equality for all is a priority.
The review identified names symbolic of Afriphobic racism. Therefore Review, Rename and Reclaim complements our Black Lives Matter motion building upon a long history of fighting racism and equality in the borough.
This project adds to the wider ambition to make our shared spaces more inclusive and representative of the borough’s diverse histories.
Mission statement
The memorialisation of those who profited in the trafficking or ownership of enslaved African people in our public spaces does not make sense in an anti-racist borough.
We’ll use an open, inclusive, and democratic approach to help residents rename our public spaces with names we can be proud of for years to come. We’ll make local history more accessible to our local communities by working together to rename places.
If you think a name or monument represents a racist or unethical history, email naminghub@hackney.gov.uk. Provide as much information as you can including your concerns, so we can add it to the review.
Audit into contested names and sites
In 2020 we completed an audit of plaques, street and building names. With the help of heritage professionals, African-Heritage residents, educationalists, and young people, we identified five names considered symbolic of racist histories.
These names were connected to commerce that profited from the enslavement of Africans or imperial exploitation of African nations. This has resulted in a legacy of racism that affects African and African-Caribbean communities today, known as Afriphobia.
Contested figures
Learning, engagement and how to get involved
We can’t change the past and we don’t want to rewrite history. However, we do want to better understand it, and help others to recognise how the past can remain present and impactful in society today.
This project provides opportunities to promote public learning and support more representative and inclusive spaces where we can come together to celebrate Hackney’s diverse histories and communities.
