Dorothy Kuya Halls of Residence: Gladstone Halls renamed

4465 students have had their say in renaming what was Gladstone Halls, with Dorothy Kuya being the favoured figurehead in the recent preferendum. Born and raised in Liverpool, Kuya advocated for racial equality, particularly in Liverpool, being a key part in the creation of the International Slavery Museum, as well as the initiating the annual Slavery Remembrance Day. John Archer, Emma Clarke and Anthony Walker were the other shortlisted names, all of whom were inspirational for change in their communities and fields. The name change builds upon the University’s work in celebrating diversity within the city and the University itself.

Who is Dorothy Kuya?

A brief reminder about the woman behind our new Halls of Residence…

• Dorothy Kuya was born in Liverpool in 1932 and was known for her activism and campaigns for racial equality
• Kuya is known for various roles, including being the city’s first community relations officer
• She was influential in the creation of Liverpool’s Slavery Museum, as well as instituting the annual Slavery Remembrance Day, before her death in 2013
• The Director of National Museums Liverpool referred to her as “Liverpool’s greatest fighter against racism and racial intolerance.”

What’s been said?

Guild President, Adnan Hussain, said that “Students have been at the heart of this campaign and I wanted to personally thank all previous students and Student Officers for working so hard on this… I would like to thank student groups such as BAME Student Network, Afro-Caribbean Society, BME Medics, Politics Society and many others whom engaged with the Guild and the University in order to push for Racial Equality at the University of Liverpool.

For more information about the outcome of the preferendum, head here, where you can find all the details. Want to know more about the other shortlisted names? Head to our recent article which summarises all those put forward.