Black Lives Matter (BLM) has arisen as a social movement in response to the numerous killings of African Americans. It has profound impact on how individuals and communities view their repressive histories and their present environment. The movement has managed to greatly influence the questioning of everyday landscape, but most importantly for this paper; it has greatly influenced the role of official memory in the erection, maintenance, or removal of monuments and memorials. Especially monuments and memorials with a connection to the colonial heritage.

This Paper will examine the problematic debate about statue with a colonial past. I will try to shed some light on these phenomena and highlight the tension that exist between acknowledgment and removal of racist, or in otherwise problematic memorials and monuments. Furthermore, this paper will examine what monuments and memorials connected to the slave trade or colonial past have of importance for memory in a time of massive changes.