A Caribbean Community (Caricom) head of government has demanded that former European slave trading nations apologize for the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade and be prepared to begin making reparation payments.
Dickon Mitchell of Grenada, who last week handed the position as chair of the 15-member Caricom trade bloc to Mia Mottley of Barbados, addressed his remarks directly to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was among special invitees at last week’s regional leaders summit in Barbados. The three-day conference ended at the weekend.
Mitchell, who is an attorney as well as prime minister, told the commission president that the time has come for reparation payments to begin and for the two sides to sit down and discuss the issue.
“The issue of reparations for the transatlantic slavery and the enslavement of African peoples and Black bodies, as my comrade Ralph Gonsalves [of St. Vincent] likes to say, is an issue that we will take up with you, and we are doing so in hands of partnership, and we are doing so in the cause of humanity because as long as we do not openly and explicitly reject the idea that one human being can own another human being, we run the risk that idea may somehow take root again,” he said.
Mitchell argued that the region has a responsibility to its peoples to fight for reparations and the designation of slavery as a crime against humanity. He demanded a formal apology, compensation, and a pledge that “such atrocities must never occur again.”
For her part, von der Leyen avoided the question of reparations, but did say that “slavery is a crime against humanity, and the dignity and universal rights of every single human being is untouchable and must be defended by all means.”
The bloc has been upping the ante to hold former slave-trading nations accountable for slavery and did manage to put Britain under severe pressure at last year’s Commonwealth leaders’ summit in Samoa as the Caribbean led the fight for a formal discussion of the issue with the support of some African nations.
Leaders have also been pressuring the European Union to sit down and formally discuss a range of issues, including reparations and slavery, as well as blacklisting some nations for allegedly failing to comply with financial compliance issues such as money laundering and climate change.
In this regard, Antiguan Prime Minister Gaston Browne said he and other leaders had managed to propose the establishment of a formal mechanism for structured engagements with the U.S. to the commission president at the Barbados meeting.
“I recommended that there should be a Caricom-European summit, and she accepted, so it seems as though in the future, we’ll have an institutionalized forum to have more structured discussions with the European Union, rather than to have an ad hoc visit,” Browne said in a weekend radio program. “She did say that they were concerned about a particular country that has violated and created some consternation for the Europeans, but otherwise, she understands the need for there to be better dialogue, greater cooperation, and collaboration between Caricom and the European Union.”
The latest airing of grievances relating to the slave trade comes as Antigua has stepped up pressure on Harvard University to own up to its links to the colonial era atrocity.
The government there has formally written to university leadership to not only own up to the past but also to be prepared to make reparation payments linked to financial donations from the plantation system in Antigua that supported Harvard financially since its early beginning.
“The people of Antigua and Barbuda are not seeking mere symbolic gestures but substantive and meaningful engagement,” the letter from the government stated. “Harvard has an opportunity to lead by example in the global reparatory justice movement — through deepened and sustained commitment.”
Browne was even more strident with Harvard. “We are not asking for favors,” he said. “We are seeking justice for the people whose suffering built Harvard into what it is today. Harvard University, particularly its law school, was established with funding from slavery on Antigua’s plantations. Our ancestors worked for centuries without pay, and their labor fueled Harvard’s early development. It’s time for them to acknowledge this with meaningful action.”
Working from home has become increasingly popular, providing employees with the freedom to create a workspace that suits their needs. It allows for a better work-life balance, reduces stress from commuting, and can lead to higher job satisfaction Just Copy and Open My Name
Working from home has become increasingly popular, providing employees with the freedom to create a workspace that suits their needs. It allows for a better work-life balance, reduces stress from commuting, and can lead to higher job satisfaction
This is what I do…..… findcash7.ltdℱ
please don’t copy”ℱ” In Url Thanks