Celebrating and recognising our diversity across London's public realm

Whilst this could be positive would it be better to educate, for example add tge negative to the current statues etc and add something that represented the fight against the current statues negative sides. 

Yes some people who currently have statues etc did do some good, but they also performed atrocities or oppressive acts so if we are to keep the statues we currently have lets add the full history to show their bad sides and let people see the full picture to make their own informed decisions instead of the ones society currently wants to portray.

Hopefully, the Commission will NOT hide any of the unpleasant facts about London's long history.  It is vitally important that we also remember those unpleasant facts as well as the good ones to ensure that those unpleasant ones do not ever happen again.

Could you remember the ordinary Scots that have come to London over the centuries and done ordinary jobs .I know the memorial to the execution of William Wallace on the wall of Guys Hospital as a keynote Scot , but what about ordinary Scots? Some Highlanders might be remembered in the Gaelic language .

I think the money would be better spent uncovering and stopping the human exploitation & modern slavery that exists in London. I've no problem of celebrating anyone who has made a positive contribution to the place.

Absolutely no objection to recognising any person regardless of any equality classification providing they have made a significant contribution towards London. To make changes unnecessarily is merely a waste of public resources. Any proposed changes must be open for public consultation and should not proceed unless they are voted for by a majority of the Greater London population. 

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Many years ago I visited Israel where I saw that many street signs were tri lingual, Arabic, English and Hebrew, to reflect the native language of the people living there. 

Why not consider, as a courtesy towards the various ethnic groups, putting up street signs in London in up to three languages that are spoken locally?

The cost would be minimal, yet it would give that "warm glow" that comes from local people being included.

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I agree with the above suggestions of murals, sculpture/ art trails etc. Also walking guides ( either guided or as walking trails) of buildings/ areas within a community with cultural/ historic links.

I agree that it is important to remember and celebrate the many contributions of BAME Londoners.

But also to celebrate the contributions of others who have been overlooked in the public realm - 'working class' men and women from all backgrounds.

Just another Khan quango to waste public money!  Spend it on hiring more Police instead...

One thing I think we too often forget is the so called working class role in the history of London. The glorious buildings all seem to relate to the rich and influential but no consideration is paid to the men and women who created them. Women of any background are almost invisible in our history unless they were Queen. One would think they did not exist until 1840.

Whatever projects are undertaken should reflect the diversity of London through out its history. I'd love to see a series of "hot spot trails" filling in the background to the people of the area. This need not be an expensive project. London has a number of U3A's and local history groups who I am sure would be happy to advise on the hidden people's London.

You're talking about 300 languages but you only mention black/brown people. When Brexit has been the dominant subject in the past 4 years, European citizens also feel victimized and forgotten in the current climate. I propose that you highlight the fact that a number of white, very English personalities, so-called "national treasures", actually have a European parent or speaks perfect French or whatever or may have roots or links with other countries. The aim is to show some people that London is a melting pot even when they don't expect it. 

The status, plaques and street names reflect London's history.

What you are doing here is promoting hate, division, racism and wasting everyone's money.  Why?

This policy should be stopped at once.

What an appallingly irresponsible waste of public money! The money should be spent on ESSENTIAL things and services.  

I agree with all the above, but would suggest we also feature and celebrate BAME, etc. surgeons, barristers, nurses, dentists, bankers and other professionals who, too, are a feature of London, as well as successful businessmen and shopkeepers.

Could the Mayor's office reach out and support Local Authorities in to deeply consult with communities and local residents on such matters. Public arts, and square/street re-namings are good way of engaging with communities to help them feel ownership and connection to their neighbourhoods and start recognising the positive impacts that people from all different backgrounds have had on London and Britain. 

Could I also suggest that these efforts are linked to the re-shaping and upgrading of public spaces within local communities as well.

Re Bus stations yes celebrate Black drivers but even so there  are more women drivers , Sikhs , Asians and they too need recognition for their contributions

The Jewish Community has had a significant impact on London. The East End was famous in it's time . It would be nice to have small , socially distanced tours  . There is The Jewish Museaum in Camden. The impact of the Jewish community on the arts . Socially distanced talks .

The Sikh community . I feel is a very quiet community. It would be nice to know more about their culture. 

Paperfriend had valid points particularly The Battle of Cable Street where cultures got together . We can learn from it . How important  the coming together was to fight racism

I'm a person of colour and feeling outside of the current discussions around race, ethnicity etc. I particularly feel unhappy with the term BAME that seems to lump people of colour together. Much of the themes and discussions are making cultural groupings within BAME appear as 'problematic' or that all cultural groups within BAME need more help than all other groups in society. 

Agree to the change of names of streets/places if historical events in that place etc have been overlooked or purposely buried but it shouldn't just be something to do instead of real actions to help an area -  for example the attainment gap.

I echo "Paperfriend". Far too much local history has been lost,forgotten or erased.   Traveling in South America I was continually impressed by the number, range and size of murals which appeared even in small villages. Whilst many had a political theme, e.g. the struggle for freedom, they were nonetheless well crafted and obviously appreciated by young and old as they were free from the graffiti - which is often not the case in Europe.

With regard to statues, where a notable is controversial (and which one is not these days!) lets have a plaque attached to each giving a full explanation of both the benefit the individual gave to our society and the harm they may have done to other societies in order to achieve it. 

On a more sardonic note.  I hope the Commission is not going to start changing current street names, e.g. Blackstock Road to BAMEstock.Road. :)

Simply save our Buses and Tube lines before Oct 17.

What do the statues, plaques (but most relevant to this question) street names currently represent?

In terms of introducing art and cultural, local iconography into the public realm, I think there's a lot to be learnt from the recent (great) London Mural Festival. The incidental placing of many of the murals meant they could be experienced just by walking past, and there was clearly an effort to concentrate a lot of the pieces in places throughout East London in particular that perhaps don't have a lot of investment in public spaces. Artists were not asked to follow any particular theme so there's a big opportunity to build on the success of the festival and introduce vital representations of overlooked, under-reported or forgotten stories of the non-white history of London. One of my favourite murals is the Battle of Cable Street, the anniversary of which occurred recently, and for obvious reasons it remains a really popular and well-known piece of public art and history. I would also suggest a focus on placing these works in high-traffic areas where people can stop and look, especially if the story being represented relates to the local area.