Editorial | Sisters’ apology

Jamaica’s thrust for reparatory justice received a small boost this week from two New Zealanders who journeyed to the island to apologise for the role of their ancestors in the evil slave trade.

Sisters Kate Thomas and Aidee Walker acknowledged that harm had been done. Adding their voices to the widening international conversation about reparatory justice demonstrates a willingness to confront the atrocities of the past and find pathways to rectify the injustice suffered by more than 10 million people over four centuries of being torn from their homeland and forcibly brought to the colonies as slaves.

Their emotional apology was delivered as the island commemorated Emancipation Day in Seville, St Ann, on August 1.

“We acknowledge the wealth created by our ancestors, through the chattel enslavement of your ancestors, and the injustice of financial compensation paid by the British government to the enslavers. The ensuring and damaging legacy of this injustice continues to the present day,” they said, to great applause from the audience.

The sisters who have found themselves in the unique position of being descendants of both slave owners and enslaved people, promised to ask their government to acknowledge the link to the injustice in the Caribbean and to consider the 10-point plan for reparatory justice created by the Caribbean Reparations Commission to address the ongoing impacts of transatlantic slavery.

Included in the 10-point plan is the call for a formal apology, cancellation of debt, and investment in socio-economic development in the Caribbean, as well as transfer of technology.

PUBLICLY ADMITTED

Conscious individuals, persons in academia, institutions like insurance companies, libraries and universities, have publicly admitted an enabling role, but governments have largely kept silent on the question of reparations. Having compensated slave owners who lost “their property” during Emancipation, governments are now balking at the idea of financial reparations for the descendants of slaves. How much? Who should be paid? Is there anyone alive today who was affected? These are among the questions being asked.

While societies in the Caribbean grapple with the impact of their historical legacy, commentators have been casting their eyes on the enormously wealthy countries of Europe and are drawing attention to the fact that the economic prosperity which they are enjoying today was built on the backs of slaves in the colonies.

Two years ago, the Netherlands government formally apologised for its part in the slave trade, calling it “ugly, painful and downright shameful”. A sum of money was pledged to raise awareness and “foster engagement and addressing the present-day effects of slavery”. But, so far, no reparations.

It also important not to ignore the links of the British monarchy to slavery. These relationship links are being scrutinised in an independent study which has the support of Buckingham Palace, and which is due to be concluded in 2026.

But, even before the study is concluded, newly revealed documentation points to the fact that members of the royal family were forceful defenders of the lucrative use of slave labour in the colonies, and favoured slowing abolition efforts. So, the long shadow of the slave trade continues to hang over the British royal family, making current-day analysis of royal attitudes to slavery even more intense.

Calls for reparations are inescapable at this time. It is a tough sell, but there is every indication that the clamour will only grow louder. More governments need to overcome their historical amnesia and acknowledge their role in aiding and abetting, profiting from the exploitation and inhumanity.

The apology from the New Zealanders is indeed a small step along the long, winding pathway to justice. Useful as this may be, what is necessary now is a meaningful social justice programme which will make a compelling case for those on the sidelines.

The CARICOM Reparations Commission must deliver on its promise to ramp up advocacy and move beyond apology to action.