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Bristol Black Lives Matter protester Jen Reid stars in Radio 4 series

EPA Jen Reid pictured with her statueEPA
Jen Reid posed with her statue, which appeared on the empty plinth after the statue of Edward Colston was pulled down

The personal history of a Bristol Black Lives Matter (BLM) protester, whose statue replaced that of Edward Colston, will be explored in a Radio 4 series.

The statue of the slave trader was toppled during a BLM protest in June, 2020.

BLM protestor Jen Reid, who stars in the first episode, said people should "open their hearts" to how all of our lives are "connected to this history".

Descendants airs on Fridays from 28 May at 11:00 BST.

Jen Reid Jen ReidJen Reid
Ms Reid said the series delved "way back" into her ancestry

The programme was made with the support of University College London's Centre and aims to introduce listeners to people connected to one another and the history of slavery, visiting Detroit, Bristol, Barbados and London.

Ms Reid said: "I think it's really important that people open their ears, hearts and minds, and look at how our lives are all interwoven in some way, shape, or form with this history.

"There's a story that needs to be told in my ancestry and this series takes it way, way back, to a grandmother who was an enslaved African."

The series is narrated by writer Yrsa Daley-Ward who co-wrote Beyoncé's visual album Black Is King.

She said: "As someone whose parents hail from Jamaica and Nigeria, the deep horror of enslavement was likely part of my family history.

'Astonishing snapshot'

"I was drawn to this project because as an author and performer I have come to understand the great resonance and deep importance of our stories, of finding future in history, of tracing bloodlines, ancestry and the paths of those who came before us.

"Although I recognise how connected we are, the very extent to which these stories interlink and touch each other still caught me by surprise."

The programme will look at 14 other figures, including Gayle Heron, sister of poet and musician Gil Scott Heron, Conservative MP James Cleverly and Mark Cropper, a descendant of abolitionist James Cropper.

BBC Radio 4's commissioning editor for factual, Richard Knight said: "By scrolling backwards and forwards through personal histories, the producers of Descendants have created an astonishing snapshot of the degree to which the legacy of slavery touches, and connects, so many British people today."