The Caribbean Reparations Commission (CRC) presented and read its CARICOM National Reparations 10-Point Plan (formally called the Caribbean Restorative Justice Plan) at the New York conference as a foundation document. That plan calls for:
(1) The issuing of a formal apology by the relevant governments of Europe (particularly France, England and the Netherlands) acknowledging that their participation in the slave trade and slavery in their colonies were crimes against humanity for which they are responsible. The Statements of Regret recently issued by some European countries were rejected as neither sufficient nor acceptable in this regard.
(2) A repatriation program must be established by the relevant European nations for all of the descendants of enslaved Africans who wish to return to their original homeland, including citizenship and re-integration options.
(3) The relevant European nations must create and promulgate an Indigenous Peoples Development Program (or financially support the current Indigenous Peoples Scholarship Program at the University of the West Indies) to rehabilitate the descendants remaining from the forced genocide and destruction of the local communities existing in the Caribbean areas prior to and during European colonization.
(4) The relevant European countries must establish, build and pay for cultural institutions (museums, research units etc.) that address the history and culture of Caribbean people beyond the master-servant relationship established during slavery and colonialism.
(5) The relevant European nations must financially address the major health crises that currently overwhelm Caribbean communities as a result of slavery and colonialism.
(6) Relevant European nations must massively participate in Caribbean programs to eradicate illiteracy in the former colonial countries, as an important aid to sustainable development.
(7) Relevant European nations must contribute to the building of “knowledge bridges of belonging,” including school exchanges, cultural tours, community artistic performances etc. to overcome the social alienation and identity deprivations caused by slavery and colonialism.
(8) Relevant European nations must engage in the development of psychological healing programs (similar to the establishment of post-traumatic slave syndrome rehabilitation units called for by Joy DeGruy, Ph.D., and others) for Caribbean communities to re-establish feelings of self-worth lost during slavery and colonialism.
(9) Relevant European nations must financially address upgrading opportunities for Caribbean youth to become a part of modern technology and science sharing situations to relieve scientific and technological backwardness imposed by slavery and colonialism.
(10) Relevant European nations must engage in and promote massive debt cancellation for Caribbean nations now trapped in fiscal peril because of slavery and colonialism. Finally, the Caribbean Reparations Commission called on civil society and state actors across the globe to create their own Reparations Commissions to help in this work.
The USA National Reparations Commission (formally called the National African American Reparations Commission or NAARC), appointed by the Institute of the Black World, promulgated the following Final Statement from the New York Reparations Summit Conference. In it, the NAARC:
(1) Agreed to advocate for the establishment of a global reparations movement by urging other organizations and governments to set up national reparations commissions, and agreed to network and support the Black Lives Matter campaign as part of the reparations effort.
(2) Agreed that there would be thorough engagement for the foreseeable future with the CRC, including NAARC-CRC partnerships in working with Caribbean government officials and civil society organizations.
(3) Agreed to meet with and fully support the European Reparations Commission, and any established in Canada and other places that share the values and goals of the CRC and the NAARC.
(4) Agreed to help convene a global reparations summit in Europe as soon as practical, and another one in the Caribbean for all of the various reparations commissions in 2017.
(5) Agreed to support the idea of an inter-governmental reparatory justice summit in 2015 called by the CRC to meet with representatives of the former slave-holding, colonial countries of Europe.
(6) Agreed to lobby the Congressional Black Caucus, major civil rights and faith-based organizations and others to support the global reparations movement.
(7) Declared a “Decade for Reparations” as part of the United Nation’s recent designation of the 2015-2025 Decade for People of African Descent.
(8) Applauded Brazil for declaring that the study of African history and culture was mandated in the educational institutions of the country, and urged all other relevant countries to do the same.
(9) Urged the global reparations movement to develop a viable funding mechanism for its operations, and urged that reparatory justice become a relentlessly pursued goal of 21st century communities.
Roiling the waters a bit, however, were issues of inclusion/non-inclusion regarding organizations that had established years of work in the reparations effort, only to be left out of invitations to the Reparations Summit, and to subsequent acknowledgment and involvement in the next round of activities.
There is also a continuing problem of grandstanding and “muddle-headedness” which must be addressed, if this global reparations effort intends to gain long-term credibility and respect.
Professor David L. Horne is founder and executive director of PAPPEI, the Pan African Public Policy and Ethical Institute, which is a new 501(c)(3) pending community-based organization or non-governmental organization (NGO). It is the stepparent organization for the California Black Think Tank which still operates and which meets every fourth Friday.
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