{"id":96521,"date":"2023-04-23T20:01:34","date_gmt":"2023-04-24T00:01:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nowgrenada.com\/?p=96521"},"modified":"2023-04-24T16:02:17","modified_gmt":"2023-04-24T20:02:17","slug":"heirs-of-slavery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nowgrenada.com\/2023\/04\/heirs-of-slavery\/","title":{"rendered":"Launch of \u201cHeirs of Slavery\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cHeirs of Slavery\u201d is a new group of people whose ancestors profited from British enslavement and the industries dependent on it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The descendants of some of the most prominent names in the history of British slavery on 24 April called on the British Government to begin long-requested talks on reconciliation and reparative justice for the descendants of the 3.1 million enslaved African people transported across the Atlantic by Britain.<\/p>\n

Authors, journalists, businesspeople and a direct descendant of the Victorian Prime Minister William Gladstone are among the members of a new group set up to support campaigns to address \u201cthe ongoing consequences of this crime against humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBritish slavery was legal, industrialised and based entirely on race,\u201d said Alex Renton, one of the group. \u201cBritain has never apologised for it, and its after-effects still harm people\u2019s lives in Britain as well as in the Caribbean countries where our ancestors made money.\u201d<\/p>\n

The group includes David Lascelles (the Earl of Harewood), retired social worker Rosemary Harrison, businessman Charles Gladstone, the former BBC correspondent Laura Trevelyan, author and publisher Richard Atkinson, retired schoolteacher Robin Wedderburn, film director John Dower and journalist Alex Renton, who is a son of a former Conservative cabinet minister.<\/p>\n

Members of the group have publicly acknowledged that their ancestors\u2019 wealth was in part derived from plantations worked by enslaved Africans, and for whom the slave-owners received compensation at British slavery\u2019s abolition in the 1830s. Harrison\u2019s ancestor was a slave owner and Attorney General in Jamaica in the late 18th century.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe encourage the hundreds of thousands of people in Britain with similar family histories to explore and acknowledge them. Until the painful legacy of slavery is recognised by the descendants of those who profited from it, there can never be healing,\u201d said Richard Atkinson.<\/p>\n

\u201cI joined this group in an attempt to begin to address the appalling ills visited on so many people by my ancestor John Gladstone,\u201d said Charles Gladstone.<\/p>\n

The group and their families have all made private donations to tackle poverty, poor education and other issues affecting the descendants of the enslaved in Britain and Caribbean countries. \u201cThis group wants to move beyond personal donations, which can never be enough,\u201d said Rosemary Harrison. \u201cWe wish to offer our energy and support to the existing movements, led by Caricom and others, that are seeking reparative justice from the European nations and the institutions that were enriched by the industries dependent on enslaved African people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caribbean countries whose people endured slavery and its aftermath are now calling for the former colonial powers to invest in their health and education systems, and for the cancellation of debts. Meanwhile, the group is in conversation with British people descended from the enslaved of the Caribbean countries, and who experience racism, poverty and inequality that derives from it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would like to listen and learn from the descendants of the enslaved to find out what would best help them in their lives today. Please tell us how apology and repair, led by the British nation, should work,\u201d said Robin Wedderburn.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose of us in this group share a dark history, one that we are endeavouring to be open about in the hope of encouraging dialogue, friendship and reconciliation between all the people whose lives have been affected. We urge other people with a similar history, both individuals and institutions, to join us in speaking out,\u201d said David Lascelles.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter so long, the reparatory justice movement is gaining momentum in Europe. Whether it\u2019s the Dutch Government, the Church of England, or the British Royal Family, the enduring and painful legacy of slavery is finally starting to be acknowledged by those who benefited from it,\u201d said Laura Trevelyan.<\/p>\n

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We are a new group composed of people whose ancestors profited from and supported transatlantic slavery and its many related industries.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is a history that we have all examined and acknowledged publicly. There are wrongs in today\u2019s world that derive from the exploitation of African people and their descendants by Britain and other former colonial powers. We believe it\u2019s important to acknowledge this crime against humanity and address its ongoing consequences. We wish to support today\u2019s movements seeking apology, dialogue, reconciliation and reparative justice.<\/p>\n

We encourage others who have similarly examined their family history to consider how personal charitable donations, according to their means, can help the futures of people in the Caribbean and Britain. But our main purpose is to lend our voices as heirs of those involved in the business of slavery to support campaigns for institutional and national reparative justice.<\/p>\n