Celebrate rich black history

Sir, – I have been struck by the debate over the renaming of David Hume Tower at Edinburgh University to 40 George Square.

The move is nonsensical because, as has been a wellrehearsed argument, if we judge individuals by the attitudes of the time in which they lived we will be left with very little when it comes to buildings and

monuments dedicated to them.

Indeed, George Square itself is named after King George III, a monarch who supported the slave trade and suppressed a slave revolt on the island of Grenada in 1795. Indeed, he issued loans of £1.5 million to slave traders to re-establish slavery on the island.

However, what is also deeply worrying in addition to this is the lack of originality in that this building could have at least been renamed after a black person who

historically made a major contribution to Scottish society, particularly that impacting the university.

John Edmonstone, for example, learned taxidermy from naturalist Charles Waterton during his enslavement on a timber plantation in Demerara, Guyana.

Moving to Edinburgh in 1817 and becoming a free man he sold exotic specimens to the university, teaching taxidermy to students, including a certain Charles Darwin, who he had a major influence on.

Thomas Jenkins was likely Scotland’s first black schoolteacher and took classes at Edinburgh University in the early 19th Century.

Scotland enjoys a rich black history and if universities are to look at naively obliterating the past, the least they could do is pay tribute to those who this is supposedly being done in the name of.

Alex Orr. 2/3 Marchmont Road, Edinburgh .