Erinma Bell Bust

Photo credit - Manchester City Council @ flickr

Inside Manchester Town Hall stands a bust of the community peace activist Professor Erinma Bell. It is the first sculpture of a woman in Manchester town hall in 150 years and one of the few statues of black women in the UK.

Erinma Bell (1964) was born in Manchester, England, to parents of Nigerian heritage. She grew up in Moss Side, a neighborhood plagued by gangs and gun crimes. In 2003, she and her husband witnessed a close friend getting shot in front of them. In response, they founded CARISMA (Community Alliance for Renewal, Inner South Manchester Area), a charity aiming to combat gun violence and provide young people with a positive alternative to crime through educational programs.

At the same time, Bell led local and national campaigns to pressure the government to bring gun violence to the top of its agenda. Thanks to her efforts, gun crime in Moss Side and Longsight had reduced by 92%. In recognition of her voluntary services to her community, she was named MBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010 and made a Deputy Lieutenant of Greater Manchester the following year.

Bell, a mom of eight, continues to work for the community as the Executive Director of Chrysalis Family Centre, a charity that supports immigrant families, refugees, and asylum seekers.

Erinma Bell’s bust was created from 50 melted-down shotguns retrieved by Greater Manchester Police and gun amnesties. The artist Karen Lyons designed it, and Guns to Goods, an artistic initiative that converts illegal firearms into sculptures, constructed it.

It was unveiled on International Women’s Day in 2016 at the Manchester Cathedral and permanently installed in Manchester Town Hall on January 26th, 2017.

In addition to honoring Bell and her contribution to ending gun violence, the bust emphasizes the opportunity to turn a destructive weapon into a representation of good and hope.

Within a short distance from Manchester Town Hall, many sites and historic landmarks reside, such as the Manchester Cenotaph war memorial, the Emmeline Pankhurst Statue, the Queen Victoria statue, Manchester Art Gallery, and the People’s History Museum.

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