The UWI Regional Headquarters, Jamaica W.I. Monday, February 27, 2023—As the global
reparatory justice programme advances as one of the greatest political movements of the 21st century, another British citizen, having traced her ancestral past, has apologized and offered reparations.
BBC correspondent, Laura Trevelyan learned that her ancestors were plantation owners in Grenada in the 19th century and enslaved more than 1,000 Africans on five sugar estates. She and other members of her family have committed to giving £100,000 to establish a fund that will be managed by The University of the West Indies (The UWI).
She will also give remarks and a public apology on behalf of her family at a Reparations Forum hosted by the Grenada National Reparations Committee (GNRC) and The University of the West Indies on Monday, February 27. The Forum will be held at the Grenada Trade Centre from 11.30 a.m. (Eastern Caribbean) and streamed live via UWItv.
Laura and her family members having consulted with Vice-Chancellor of The UWI, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles and learning of the CARICOM Ten Point Plan for Reparatory Justice, have
collaborated with the GNRC and The UWI to launch a reparatory research fund with the proceeds of the £100,000 payment.
As an activist institution, The UWI continues its championing of reparatory justice leading greater advocacy, consciousness-raising and the support the CARICOM Ten Point Plan through the University’s Centre for Reparation Research (CRR). This is continued evidence of the regional academy’s pursuit of social justice as part of its core mission.
The UWI ushered a new era in the global reparations movement in 2019 as part of the first-ever Caribbean Reparatory Justice initiative with Glasgow University in Scotland. That led to the establishment of the Glasgow-Caribbean Centre for Development Research, representing a 20-year commitment of a £20 million investment.
In 2021, this was followed by the personal reparatory gift from the late Brigitte Freeman, another British citizen, who in acknowledgement and apology for her family’s involvement in slavery, contributed US$500,000 to the University’s Global Giving development fund.
In addition to Laura Trevelyan’s apology, the February 27 Reparations Forum will feature
addresses by the Hon. Dickon Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles who also serves as Chairman of the CARICOM Reparations Commission, Arley Gill, Chair of the GNRC, and Dr Nicole Phillip-Dowe, GNRC’s Vice-Chair and Deputy Director (Ag.) of The UWI Open Campus Country Sites (OCCS).
The proceedings can be viewed via UWItv on local FLOW EVO channels, www.uwitv.org OR
www.facebook.com/UWItv
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Phenomenal gesture and accountability…
Very interesting that individual families are apologizing for their ancestral roles in slavery in the Caribbean, which I think is quite honorable on their part.
The reparation committee in Antigua and Barbuda seemed to have felt asleep….we know the chronological owners of all the estates in Antigua…for example Owen and Elizabeth Mary Pell nee Otto Baijer owned at least six estates: Mayer’s, Room’s, Sion Hill, Grant’s, Pares and Cochrane’s…..covering over 1400 acres of land. Let us engage these families…I’m sure they have inherited emmense fortune from their ancestors.
As former British Colonies , the monarchy benefitted most from her role in Slavery and should not only apologize but settle her obligation to reparation.
So where are we on this reparation quest in Antigua and Barbuda?
I am still waiting to hear about reparations and apologies from our ” African brothers and sisters” who initially sold us off into slavery to the foreigners centuries ago. They helped facilitate making it easy for the foreigners to acquire us.
Fast forward to today, we still haven’t learned a thing from our past and our behaviour. Once again our African “brothers and sisters” are still scamming us from Antigua Airways to the latest scam where they got funds from their immediate brothers and sisters to charter a flight back to Africa. Even the current PM continues to scam our people.
We have not learned a thing. Everyone else is making reparations for us BUT our own “brothers and sisters”. Now they want us to allow them to stay here when we don’t have the economy to support ourselves much less the additional 700 or so that arrived here. The same “brothers and sisters” who supposed to be decently well off but couldn’t even afford a rate of $80USD/night at accommodations. To make it worse, many if not all, didn’t even have visas.
All this thanks to the officials who were elected to protect our nation and our people. To add another point, the same elected officials only look out for their pockets. That includes the PM, AG and right on down the line.
Our African “brothers and sisters” should be the first to apolgise and make reparations for what they did to us.
@Still…Thanks for bringing that atrocity back into the conversation about reparations!!!!
@Still . . . . talk louder for the black ppl with cotton in their ear holes and for those turning side eyes.
@Still waiting from our African “brothers and sisters”.
You have hit the nail on the head with your comment, spot on. I have asked the same question many times before only to be met with a wall of silence. Some people see only what they want to see and hear only what they want to hear. Unpalatable questions go unanswered and swept under the carpet. Make no mistake though; slavery was inhumane, degrading and a crime against humanity, no ifs or buts. If the descendants of those slave owners choose to pay ‘reparation’ to present day institutions then that is their business but I, as a descendant of slaves would not accept any such reparation as I do not feel entitled it. My point is this: reparation should have been paid to those who suffered the horrors of slavery, namely, the slaves themselves, not to any cash strapped university or organization today that sees the chance of making some money on the backs of those unfortunate slaves who have long since passed over 300 hundred years ago. Have they no sense of pride in themselves or to honour those who suffered so horribly in those hellish years? I shall repeat what I have said some years ago in another media source: Reparation is to me nothing less than blood money and I could not be comfortable within myself to ask for or accept it. Here’s a point: let’s say my forebear committed a heinous crime against his peer, if the descendant of the victim was to ask me hundreds of years later for compensation I reckon they would get a very rude response. Go figure! I say Hear Hear to your comment.
@oversee,
I agree in principle with your comments, but conversely, I am of the opinion that West African Givernments should paved the way and apologise for their country contribution/role during the Middle Passsge era.
Countries that have accumalate wealth from the slave trade, they should apologise and make tangible reparation through house buildings, improved infra structure such as road works programme, improve drainage system, build new schools in local areas, medical clinics, streets lights in local areas.
Avoid making reparation that ALP administration can’t get their hands on the money!
@Antigua4ever
I urge you to not hold your breath while waiting for any apology from those countries. Slavery is a not a big issue for them as their citizens regularly traffic their own to other countries. Believe it or not but I have seen on television an African woman sell, yes sell for that is what it was, her son to a fisherman who was short of labour. After the money was handed over the fisherman in a business-like manner said the young lad now belonged to him. There you go. it makes me wonder if those who accept reparation for injustices they have not suffered like the slaves over whom they shed crocodile tears, feel all is now well and the slate is now wiped clean? After all, they asked for compensation/reparation and they got it so all is forgiven. They must do for their wish has now been granted. The memory of those brutalized slaves doesn’t bother them one iota. Kindly search for the last country to abolish slavery and brace yourself for a shock if you haven’t done so already.
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