Philanthropy isn’t just problematic – it’s harmful

After protestors removed the statue of Edward Colston two weeks ago, defenders of the slave trader’s legacy piled in to raise the point about Bristol owing much of its cultural heritage to his philanthropic contributions. It wasn’t quite the gotcha they had hoped for. Rather than reifying Colston’s image as a generous benefactor, it served to highlight many of the more absurd aspects of philanthropy in general. READ MORE