Exeter MCR unveils new portraits celebrating significant black women in the College’s history
Esi Eshun (left) and Helen Thomas were two of the alumnae honoured at the portrait unveiling
Last academic year, the MCR undertook to celebrate its diverse and accomplished community with a series of photo portraits of high achieving women of African or Caribbean descent who are connected to Exeter College. In Michaelmas Term, to coincide with Black History Month, the portraits were unveiled and they are now on display in the MCR.
A portrait in Oxford is a sign of recognition and respect and for centuries has been used to celebrate the achievements and contributions of college members and alumni. The MCR’s decision to focus on women of African and Caribbean descent aimed to help address the imbalance of portraiture, not just in the MCR but in Exeter College and Oxford more generally, and display people who are underrepresented on Oxford’s walls.
Celebrated photographer Fran Monks was commissioned to capture the alumnae portraits. Fran has worked with Exeter College on numerous occasions, including taking the portraits of former president of Ghana Dr John Kufuor (1961, PPE; Honorary Fellow) and BBC news correspondent Reeta Chakrabarti (1984, English and French; Honorary Fellow), both of which are displayed in Cohen Quad.
Following a process of discovery and discussion, the MCR decided to honour four alumnae, one of whom has chosen not to be named online.
Esi Eshun OBE (2000, Earth Sciences) has been honoured for her leadership and contributions to law, finance, and banking in the United Kingdom. Joining UK Export Finance in 2009, Esi held multiple senior roles in the department, including on its Executive Committee, and specialised in international project finance transactions. Esi is now General Counsel for the British Business Bank and continues to chart an impressive path forward for aspiring black women in law and finance.
Dr Helen Thomas (1989, English Literature) is an academic, poet, playwright, and creative arts facilitator. She was born in London to Sierra Leonean and Irish parents. At Exeter, Dr Thomas embarked on a DPhil in Literature focusing upon Romanticism. After two years of research, the focus of her thesis changed from gender and colonialism in the work of William Blake to an analysis of slave narratives published by escaped and freed black people in 18th century Britain and was later published by Cambridge University Press. Dr Thomas has worked as a university lecturer and examiner at Queen Mary University of London, Birkbeck University of London, Goldsmiths University of London, Falmouth University and Exeter University. Her areas of research include Black British Writing, Migrant Literature, and the Medical Humanities. The title of her first collection of poems, 1562, refers to the date of Sir John Hawkins’ first slave raid on the coast of Africa, and voices the fictionalised lives of six black women in six UK ports during the 16th and 17th centuries. Dr Thomas is the senior editor of Poetry off the Page, a new research journal specialising in the intersecting practices and traditions of British poetry performance. She is also a member of the Society of Authors and the Black Writers Guild.
Dr Namukale Chintu (2006, Financial Economics) is a Rhodes Scholar from Zambia and is currently serving as the Rhodes national secretary for Zambia. A rising entrepreneur, she was named on the 100 Women to Watch list for 2020 and is the founder of Frontier Market Consultants. Previously, she worked in financial services – with Morgan Stanley global capital markets, Lehman Brothers equity capital markets and Nomura equity capital markets. Namukale holds two MScs in financial economics and management research from the University of Oxford. Prior to financial services, she worked with the United Nations Development Program in aid coordination and harmonisation.
The fourth alumna honoured was, we believe, the first black woman to attend Exeter, matriculating in 1985. A talented mathematician, she contributed to college life in all manner of ways, from staging plays to arranging social events, embodying the spirit of Exeter’s MCR and the energetic community it strives to be.
Current MCR president Rea Tresa (2023, Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics) said at the portrait unveiling: “It is fantastic to see diversity celebrated through the portraits of four remarkable women that will now grace our MCR. This is a reminder that Exeter is a welcoming community for all, and we remain committed to ensuring everyone finds a sense of belonging here.”
Rachael Merritt (2022, Social Science of the Internet), MCR president when the portraits were commissioned, said after the unveiling: “At the end of a year’s long initiative to honour four significant black women in the College’s history through a portrait series, the MCR finally had the pleasure of hosting a portrait unveiling ceremony. It was a most wonderful evening of speeches and applause, attended by three of the four portrait recipients, their friends and family, College leadership, and many happy students.”
