Tag

Slavery

All articles tagged with #slavery

world7 days ago

King Charles III to confront colonial legacy in Caribbean tour amid cancer treatment

King Charles III will tour the Bahamas, Guyana, and Antigua and Barbuda from October 27 to November 4, explicitly addressing Britain's colonial past and slavery. The 77-year-old monarch, who is undergoing cancer treatment, will deliver a speech at a Commonwealth meeting and mark Guyana's 60th independence anniversary. While the palace emphasizes acknowledging historical wrongs, the UK government maintains it will not pay reparations.

via BBC|

#caribbean #colonialism #commonwealth

world19 days ago•3 min saved

Caribbean nations map legal push to compel UK over slavery reparations

Caribbean nations are drafting a multi-pronged action plan to pressure the UK into negotiating a decades-long slavery reparations deal, outlining legal strategies from petitions to the Privy Council to an ICJ advisory opinion and seeking talks at Commonwealth and UN summits; they argue binding obligations exist under UN conventions and CERD, and warn of international court action if diplomacy fails, all framed as a multigenerational justice effort.

via The Guardian|

#caribbean #international-law #reparations

science19 days ago•26 min saved

DNA Proof Emerges: Jefferson Fathered Hemings Children, Smithsonian Study Finds

A Smithsonian-led team sequenced a lock of Thomas Jefferson's hair and, by comparing its genome to living descendants of Sally Hemings, concludes there is strong evidence Jefferson fathered Hemings's children Madison and Eston. The 15-year project used advanced ancient-DNA sequencing and 20,000 simulations to test paternity. The findings, which align with longstanding speculation, also note a Hemings descendant briefly withdrew from participation; researchers say these techniques have since helped solve cases like the Gilgo Beach murders and the Golden State Killer.

via New York Post|

#dna #genetics #hemings

world1 month ago•129 min saved

Jamaica takes slavery reparations case to Britain’s Privy Council

Jamaica has filed a petition with the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council seeking a legal ruling on slavery reparations, asking three questions: whether the forced transport and enslavement of Africans in Jamaica violated English common law, whether they constitute crimes against humanity for which the U.K. bears responsibility, and whether Britain has an obligation to provide a remedy to Jamaica. Britain has historically rejected apologies or reparations and the move could influence Jamaica’s political future, including discussions about severing ties with the crown and becoming a republic if the legal path does not yield the desired outcome.

via AP News|

#jamaica #king-charles-iii #privy-council

world1 month ago•4 min saved

Jamaica seeks royal help in its reparations drive with petition to King Charles

Jamaica arrived in London with a petition asking King Charles to urge a Privy Council review on the legality of slavery and Britain’s obligation to provide restitution, signaling a milestone in Caribbean reparations efforts alongside upcoming regional and UN engagements.

via The Guardian|

#jamaica #king-charles #privy-council

world1 month ago•3 min saved

Jamaica seeks JCPC ruling on slavery redress via King Charles

Jamaica plans to deliver a petition to King Charles asking him to refer three questions to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council about the legality of enslaving Africans in Jamaica, whether it violated international law, and whether Britain has a legal duty to provide redress, with parallel talks on repatriating artefacts from the British Museum; the petition is framed as seeking a legal remedy rather than an immediate payment.

via BBC|

#jamaica #king-charles #privy-council

world1 month ago•1 min saved

UN: Slavery reparations are a current legal obligation under anti-discrimination treaty

A UN committee on the elimination of racial discrimination (CERD) says states are legally obliged under the 1965 convention to pursue comprehensive reparations for the transatlantic slave trade, shifting from historical debate to actionable remedies. The guidance urges transformative measures—opening archives, revising public memorials, and establishing independent truth commissions—because financial compensation alone is insufficient to address ongoing racial inequalities. Some 12.5 million Africans were displaced in the slave trade; while many countries resist, the document argues present obligations require action beyond past illegality, with the EU and Britain abstaining on a related UN resolution.

via The Guardian|

#cerd #racial-discrimination #reparations

world1 month ago•11 min saved

Ghana Takes the Lead in the Global Slavery Reparations Debate

Ghana is at the forefront of the global reparations debate for the transatlantic slave trade, pushing UN recognition, debt relief, and accountability from Western powers and institutions such as the Church of England, while advocating reparatory funding for education, entrepreneurship and health research, and promoting diaspora outreach — though critics warn against commercialising healing and say local needs must not be sidelined.

via BBC|

#church-of-england #ghana #reparations

world2 months ago•3 min saved

Archbishop signals renewed £100m slavery reparations push during Ghana visit

On a visit to Cape Coast Castle, Archbishop Dame Sarah Mullally renewed the Church of England's commitment to a £100m reparations fund tied to its historic role in the transatlantic slave trade, noting that repentance must translate into action through investment, research and community engagement in affected areas. She described the castle’s dungeons and the “door of no return” as stark reminders of the past. The plan has faced opposition over historical accuracy, legal concerns and ideological objections, but Ghana’s foreign minister praised the move as a signal of accountability for the church’s legacy.

via BBC|

#archbishop-of-canterbury #church-of-england #ghana

politics-and-policy2 months ago•27 min saved

Overhauled President’s House Slavery Exhibit Sparks Legal Back-and-Forth

The Trump administration quietly replaced the President’s House slavery exhibit in Philadelphia with new panels that soften George Washington's role as an enslaver and broaden the focus to general slavery history, after a long legal battle with the city over control of the site. The changes follow a federal appeals court ruling that Philadelphia could not dictate the content at a federally owned memorial; officials and activists vow to pursue remedies and keep the full history alive, while some observers view the shift as a whitewash. The site has seen protests, readings of the original panels, and a vandalism-related fine, all amid continuing debate over how best to tell America’s history.

via WHYY|

#government #history #law

politics2 months ago•20 min saved

Overnight exhibit swap at Philadelphia’s Independence Park sparks backlash over slavery history

The National Park Service replaced panels about slavery and George Washington’s ownership of enslaved people at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia with a version critics say sanitizes history, installing the changes overnight and prompting controversy and legal action; the site’s President’s House excavation continues to highlight the stories of nine enslaved individuals who lived with Washington.

via The Washington Post|

#african-americans #black-history #politics

society3 months ago•48 min saved

Montgomery’s Truth-Telling Memorials Challenge America to Reckon with Slavery

In Montgomery, Alabama, Bryan Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative has built the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice to confront America’s history of slavery and racial terror. The episode details markers and a county-by-county layout, a Kwame Akoto-Bamfo sculpture, and a water wall that acknowledges thousands more lynching victims than can be documented. Stevenson argues that the nation’s history cannot be erased, that modern racial injustice grows from a dangerous white supremacist narrative, and that truth-telling and repair are essential to moving forward. As the U.S. marks its 250th anniversary, he emphasizes memory, education, and persistent justice work, and frames his American identity as inseparable from the enslaved ancestors who helped build the country.

via Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting|

#bryan-stevenson #equal-justice-initiative #lynching

world3 months ago•3 min saved

Accra summit presses for formal apologies and global reparations for slavery

At a three-day Accra conference, African and Caribbean leaders called for full, unconditional apologies and support for a 19-point plan to establish a global reparations fund, debt relief, and restitution of looted cultural property, building on a UN resolution that labeled the transatlantic slave trade the gravest crime against humanity. The gathering highlighted 12-15 million Africans trafficked to the Americas; Macron urged reparations beyond cash, while the UK and US cautioned against creating a legal right to reparations, noting the UN vote is non-binding.

via BBC|

#apology #reparations #slavery

television3 months ago•17 min saved

Kimmel Riffs on Larry David’s Slave-Owning Ancestors

Jimmy Kimmel Live! featured Larry David's surprising connection to slaveholding revealed by Henry Louis Gates Jr. on Finding Your Roots, prompting Kimmel to poke fun at his guest while Gates adds historical context; David explains his family didn’t own slaves, and the moment unfolds amid chatter about Knicks fandom and the show’s HBO debut.

via Variety|

#finding-your-roots #henry-louis-gates-jr #jimmy-kimmel

world3 months ago•3 min saved

Caricom pushes for monetary reparations for slavery at Ghana summit

Barbados PM Mia Mottley announced an updated Caricom reparations manifesto at a Ghana conference, urging monetary compensation and other redress from former colonial powers for slavery’s harms, including gender-based violence; the plan ties reparations to climate justice and Indigenous rights, seeks a formal apology and education initiatives, and awaits endorsement by Caribbean governments, while stressing that crimes against humanity are not subject to statute of limitations.

via The Guardian|

#caricom #gender-based-violence #mia-mottley