Caricom plans are set for reparation justice

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

On October 3 last year, Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Dr Amery Browne announced the appointment by Cabinet of a national reparations committee whose chairs will sit on the Caricom Regional Commission on Reparations.

According to the UN, "Victims have a right to reparation.

"Reparations must be adequate, effective, prompt and proportional to the the gravity of the violation and harm suffered."

The UN said slavery is regarded as one of the "darkest chapters of human history," as it lasted over 400 years, with over 15 million men, women and children being victims of the transatlantic slave trade.

Speaking at the launch, director of the Caricom Centre for Reparations Research (CRC), UWI, Mona Campus, Jamaica, Prof Verene Shepherd.

Shepherd said her organisation is ready to help the TT Reparations Committee with research, as it has been doing regionally and internationally to other committees.

"We are a small centre with just three members of staff.

"We are committed to the primary mandate, which is to promote research on and engage in advocacy around the legacies of the conquest and genocidal actions against indigenous peoples, the harm done because of the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans and African chattel enslavement (and) "additionally, the impact of colonialism and its legacies on the Caribbean; and help to bring justice and positive transformation to societies affected by these legacies including communities affected by deceptive Indian indentureship."

Caricom's ten-point action plan

The CRC has outlined a ten-point plan in its path for justice from 11 European countries – France, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Belgium and Norway.

The ten-point plan includes, a full and formal apology – "Groups subjected to deceptive systems of indenture deserve a full and formal apology. Only a full and formal apology can allow for the healing of wounds and the destruction of cultures caused by colonialism (enslavement and other forms of oppression of peoples)."

Indigenous peoples development programmes – "Indigenous peoples within member
states of Caricom have been subjected to forced migration within countries across the region."

The plan outlined these indigenous people experiences – brutal working conditions and genocide.

The indigenous people's population was 30,000 in 2000.

"Their descendants remains traumatised, landless (Europeans seized their land), and are one of the most marginalised groups in the region.

"Rebuilding these communities cannot be done without responsible European states taking on the responsibility of correcting the damage where possible and restoring the communities that still exists."

Funding for reparations to Africa – "The descendants of African peoples stolen from their homes, lands, people and cultures have a legal right of return."

The plan said the European states responsible should establish resettlement programmes for those wishing to return.

"Caricom is already in contact with African states that are willing and able to allow for the return of their stolen people.

'A fully-funded resettlement programme will allow for the repatriation of displaced Africans in Caricom member-states."

The establishment of cultural institutions and the return of cultural heritage – "There was a deliberate attempt to destroy the cultures and languages of the indigenous peoples, enslaved Africans and indentured workers.

The plan said, generations later, a gap in knowledge of some of these groups about the history of their ancestors and the culture before European colonisation remains.

"The restoration of historical memory through community institutions such as museums and research centres will allow citizens to understand these crimes against humanity and to memorialise their ancestors' contributions to modern disciplines such as health care and technology."

Assistance in remedying the public health crisis – "Caricom member states are committed, but unable to provide high standards of health care to deal with multiple diseases that are the legacy of enslavement.

"New medical evidence has shown hypertension and type two diabetes are products of the nutritional experience, physical and emotional brutality, overall stress profiles associated with 400 years of enslavement."

The plan said Europe has a responsibility to participate in the alleviation of this heath disaster and to restore good health through the provision of hospitals and health care.

Education programmes – there was no proper education system in place during the period of enslavement and colonialism.

"Caricom governments inherited a flawed education system, inadequate schools, high illiteracy and a system based on structural discrimination."

While Caricom has tried to fix this, widespread illiteracy and inequitable systems of education still exist.

"European states should build on Caricom's efforts – build educational capacity and provide scholarships because development requires a highly educated population."

The enhancement of historical and cultural knowledge exchanges – "Colonialism created a situation where European culture was forced on the populations that lived in the region, forcibly brought to the region and those under partially voluntary contracts.

"This forced acculturation was based on incorrect and racist idea that the full and rich cultures of each of these groups were 'inferior' and needed to be erased."

The plan would like the responsible European states to help Caricom reverse the impact by providing funding for programmes such as school exchanges, culture tours, community artistic and performance programmes and entrepreneurial and religious engagements, as well as political interaction to neutralise the forced destruction of the history and culture of indigenous and indentured groups.

Psychological rehabilitation as a result of the transmission of trauma – "The history of colonialism by certain European states has inflicted serious psychological trauma upon indigenous and African descendant populations.

"European states have an obligation to repair the psychological trauma caused by colonialism and its evils in order to assist in rebuilding full and whole men, women and children."

The right to development through the use of technology – Caricom member-states entered their nation-building phases technologically and scientifically ill-equipped within the post-modern world economy.

"Responsible European states should engage in technology transfer and science sharing to repair the deliberate harm to the development of countries within Caricom."

Debt cancellation and monetary compensation – "Caricom governments that emerged from slavery and colonialism inherited massive crisis of community poverty and an inability to deal with the development of their countries because of the business of the burdens of the legacy of colonialism."

The plan said European countries have made no sustained attempt to deal with debilitating colonial legacies.

"Support the payment of domestic debt, the cancellation of international debt and direct monetary payments where appropriate.

"Do the necessary reparatory actions to correct the harm caused by colonialism."

'Successful' reparations worldwide

Thai Jones, author of a Washington Post story headlined Slavery reparations seem impossible – In many places, they’re already happening said, "In 2015, Chicago enacted a reparations ordinance covering hundreds of African Americans tortured by police from the 1970-1990."

He said the law calls for US$5.5 million in financial compensation, as well as hundreds of thousands more for a public memorial, and a range of assistance related to health, education and emotional well-being.

"Last spring, students at Georgetown University voted to create a fund that would raise US$400,000 annually to benefit the descendants of almost 300 enslaved people sold by the college in the 1830s."

Jones said the numbers are not statistically significant in the context of the millions descended from enslaved African Americans.

"In Chicago, survivors received direct financial awards; at Georgetown, the money will be spent on charities and other indirect benefits."

Adeel Hassan and Jack Healy, in their New York Times article America Has Tried Reparations Before, Here Is How It Went, said, "On separate occasions 40 years apart, Congress awarded payments to Japanese-Americans who were taken from their homes during World War II and sent to internment camps.

"The Japanese American Evacuation Claims Act of 1948 offered compensation for real and personal property they had lost. About US$37 million was paid to 26,000 claimants. But no provision was made for lost freedom or violated rights.

"That came in 1988, when Congress voted to extend an apology and pay $20,000 to each Japanese-American survivor of the internment. More than US$1.6 billion was paid to 82,219 eligible claimants."

Other examples where reparations were paid in the US were: victims of forced sterilisation; and black residents of a Florida town that was burned by a murderous white mob.