Black World Unites

Reparations on the agenda as Africa, the Caribbean, the US and Black campaigners in Britain issue a joint declaration.

REPARATIONS EXPERTS from Africa, the Caribbean, the States and the UK have come together to issue a joint declaration in London.

Members of the African Union, CARICOM and US campaigners, plus around 700 Black Britons, sent a strong signal to governments in London, Washington and Europe that reparatory justice is inevitable.

The conference, organised by a cross party group of British MPs for Afrikan reparations, comes ahead of a gathering of African heads of state in Ghana this month on the same topic.

The London event came exactly 30 years after the Abuja pan-African reparations conference.

The joint statement said that “the damage to African peoples has left an enduring legacy, resulting in global inequalities in international relations and economic governance, systemic racism and prejudice, unequal experiences in education, employment, criminal justice systems, healthcare and other walks of life.”

ROOTS: Prof Verene Albertha Shepherd said (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)

It added that “the legacy of the enslavement and trafficking of peoples of African descent, colonisation
and neo-colonialism will not be fully addressed, nor corrected until full reparatory justice is pursued and achieved.”

Speakers included leading UK campaigner Esther Stanford Xosei, Diane Abbott MP, Professor Verene Shepherd from the University of West Indies, playwright Kwami Kwei Armah and Adwoa Coleman from the African Union.

Labour MP Bell Riberio-Addy, who organised the London conference, said: “We are not free until we are all free. I’m told ‘slavery was a long time ago but it did not end a long time ago.”

Shepherd said: “We need a united front to demand reparations on behalf of our ancestors. We have a saying: ‘people without knowledge of history is like a tree without roots.’

“The Maangamazi was irrefutable, and for our ancestors it continues to be.”

PEOPLE POWER: The London conference

Professpor Kimani Nehusi from Temple University in the USA, added: “This is about the politics of self liberation.

“We’ve got to lead our own struggle. No-one else must be permitted to colonise our struggle.”

No Western government has so far paid reparations for enslavement of Africans, but the Church of England and the Scott Trust, which owns The Guardian, has apologised for involvement and donated significant sums.

However, Lloyds of London, which insured slavers in the Middle Passage and paid out for Africans thrown overboard, are believed to be resisting making payments.

The Voice was the media sponsor for the conference, and editor Lester Holloway was one of the speakers.

Comments Form

2 Comments

  1. | John Canoe

    GREAT NEWS.

    Will they endorse ADEJA?

    ADEJA is a new initiative conceived and established by Reparation Nation Limited, headquartered in London. ADEJA is not seeking funding or partnership but rather the endorsement of its vision. It is dedicated to creating a Black African Autonomous Entity for Empowerment and Reparatory Justice. The term “Black” refers to individuals classified as IC3 Black under the race and ethnicity standards established by the UK Government. ADEJA is committed to advocating for the interests, welfare, and historical justice of the IC3 Black community, with a focus on holistic betterment.

    Article I: Name and Mission

    Name: The initiative shall be known as the “African Diaspora Equity and Justice Alliance” (ADEJA).

    Mission: ADEJA’s mission is to advance the well-being, empowerment, unity, and the pursuit of historical reparatory justice for Black Africans, the Black African diaspora, and the Mixed-Black diaspora, based on an evidence-based claim-by-claim basis.

    Article II: Definitions and Classifications

    IC3 Black: Refers to individuals classified as IC3 Black under the race and ethnicity standards established by the UK Government.

    IC Codes: ADEJA recognizes and uses the British Police IC codes for racial and ethnic classification, including IC1 (White Northern European), IC2 (Dark Southern European), IC3 (Black), IC4 (Asian), IC5 (Oriental), IC6 (Arab, Mixed-Race, Middle Eastern), and IC7-9 (Unknown).

    Article III: Alignment with the UK Government

    ADEJA is an ally of the UK government in terms of their joint enterprise and recognition of the value of race and ethnicity codes for good government.

    ADEJA shares the view with the UK government that the conservation of the Protected Characteristics, including race and ethnicity codes, is a matter of national security.

    ADEJA is committed to providing comprehensive information to ensure clarity regarding its initiative’s objectives, especially related to race and ethnicity codes.

    Article IV: Reparation Assets

    ADEJA categorizes reparations into two distinct classes:
    a. Tradeable Assets: Financial resources and precious commodities for procurement of services, goods, and international trade.
    b. Non-Tradeable Assets: Assets of cultural significance, including sacred cultural items, dedicated to cultural restoration and preservation.

    Article V: Member Entities

    ADEJA serves as a clearinghouse for all entities that classify themselves as IC3 Black or part IC3 Black.

    Member entities are encouraged to contribute to ADEJA’s mission through reparations, evidence-based claims, and support for the restoration of cultural identity.

    Article VI: Evidence-Based Reparation Claims

    ADEJA will process reparatory justice on an evidence-based claim-by-claim basis.

    ADEJA, in collaboration with the White People Protection League (WPPL), offers generous rewards to whistleblowers who provide evidence leading to successful reparation claims.

    Article VII: Reparation Shares

    ADEJA will make Blackness an asset class, paying out reparation shares based on the percentage of Black heritage:
    100% share for FULL BLACK.
    75% share for 3/4 BLACK.
    50% share for 1/2 BLACK.
    25% share for 1/4 BLACK.
    12.5% share for 1/8 BLACK.
    6.25% share for 1/16 BLACK.

    Article VIII: Identity Recognition

    ADEJA recognizes five aspects of identity, including:
    a. Place of Birth.
    b. Lineage.
    c. Appearance (Visual Ethnicity).
    d. State of Mind/Habits.
    e. DNA.

    Article IX: Conclusion

    ADEJA aims to establish a transformative platform that addresses historical inequities, fosters international collaboration, and paves the way for shared prosperity, empowering Black Africans, the Black African diaspora, and the Mixed-Black diaspora while seeking reparatory justice.

    Reply

  2. | Chaka Artwell

    History is replete with the oppressed, taken on the characteristics of their oppressors-Palestine today is a grim example of this historical truism.

    There is no escaping the grim reality that today’s elevated African-heritage people have adopted a disdain, and an uppity attitude against grass-roots African-heritage campaigners.

    There is no escaping the feeling that this reparation conference had the feel of being a political stunt; designed to advance the Political profile of Labour’s Rt Hon Bell Ribeiro-Addy.

    England’s African-heritage Subjects desperately require authentic African-heritage Political leadership.

    Reply

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