CARICOM – Reparation Justice Plan is All Set

The Reconstituted National Committee on Reparations held its media launch at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) on July 8.

Last October 3, Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Dr. Amery Browne announced the appointment of a national reparations committee by the Cabinet. This committee’s chairs will sit on the Caricom Regional Commission on Reparations.

At the launch, Professor Verene Shepherd, Director of the Caricom Centre for Reparations Research (CRC) at UWI, Mona Campus, Jamaica, expressed her organization’s readiness to assist the TT Reparations Committee with research, as they have done for other committees regionally and internationally. “We are a small center with just three members of staff, but we are committed to promoting research and advocating around the legacies of conquest, genocidal actions against indigenous peoples, the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans, and African chattel enslavement. Additionally, we address the impact of colonialism and its legacies on the Caribbean, striving for justice and positive transformation for affected societies,” Shepherd said.

The CRC’s ten-point action plan seeks justice from 11 European countries: France, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, and Norway. Key points include:

1. Full and Formal Apology: Groups subjected to deceptive systems of indenture deserve a full and formal apology for healing and cultural restoration.
2. Indigenous Peoples Development Programs: Address the historical and ongoing marginalization of indigenous communities in Caricom member states through development initiatives.
3. Funding for Reparations to Africa: Establish resettlement programs for descendants of Africans who were trafficked and enslaved, in coordination with willing African states.
4. Cultural Institutions and Heritage Return: Support the restoration of historical memory and cultural heritage through museums and research centers.
5. Public Health Crisis Remedy: Participate in alleviating health crises linked to enslavement’s legacy, providing hospitals and healthcare.
6. Education Programs: Improve education systems to address the flaws inherited from colonialism, providing scholarships and building educational capacity.
7. Historical and Cultural Knowledge Exchanges: Reverse the impact of forced acculturation by funding cultural and educational exchange programs.
8. Psychological Rehabilitation: Address the psychological trauma inflicted by colonialism through comprehensive rehabilitation programs.
9. Development Through Technology: Engage in technology transfer and science sharing to support Caricom’s development.
10. Debt Cancellation and Monetary Compensation: Support the cancellation of international debt and provide direct monetary payments to address the harm caused by colonialism.

Professor Shepherd emphasized the need for a multifaceted approach to reparations, involving financial compensation, educational initiatives, and cultural restoration to achieve justice and development for Caribbean societies affected by colonial legacies.

Thai Jones, in his Washington Post article “Slavery reparations seem impossible – In many places, they’re already happening,” highlights examples such as Chicago’s 2015 reparations ordinance for African Americans tortured by police and Georgetown University’s fund for descendants of enslaved people. Adeel Hassan and Jack Healy, in their New York Times article “America Has Tried Reparations Before, Here Is How It Went,” detail Congressional reparations for Japanese-Americans interned during World War II, showcasing successful reparation efforts in the U.S.