St Vincent and the Grenadines’ Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves said he plans to intensify efforts in addressing the issue of reparations for native genocide and slavery when he assumes the chairmanship of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) early in the New Year. “When I take over the chairmanship of Caricom in January, I hope to get letters to Europe,” Gonsalves, told a standing-room-only town hall meeting in Brooklyn late Saturday.
“We’re going for reparations because of state-sponsored genocide and state-sponsored slavery,” he added. “Europe, by engaging us in this matter, can make us more free,” he continued. “We need reparations, but we need available resources.”
Serious conversation
The Vincentian leader, who has been taking the lead in Caricom on the issue, said efforts at seeking reparations from Europe are “not a conversation about protests. This is a serious conversation to see what is the legacy”, he said. “I’m not a little boy holding up a placard. I’m the prime minister of an independent country.”
Gonsalves warned that, as the reparations issue gains ground, European governments and their “agencies” are already “finding means to divide the reparations movement,” adding that “reparations is for all of us”.
It was mentioned at the recently-held reparations conference in St Vincent that Caricom should mandate reparations education in schools’ curriculum.
Recognition was also given to past reparations initiatives, such as the work done by the Rastafari Movement and some major reparations conferences that have occurred in Nigeria, Washington DC, and Barbados.
Objectives
At the conference, a structure was proposed for the regional commission. It was agreed that the body would be led by a chairman and three vice chairs with responsibility for certain key tasks.
Professor Hilary Beckles was elected as chairperson of the Caricom Regional Reparations Commission.
Vice chairs are Jomo Thomas, St Vincent and the Grenadines (responsible for inter-governmental relations); Dr Verene Shepherd, Jamaica (research); and Ahmad Zunder, Suriname, (mobilisation).
