National

Local Group Calls on King Charles for Reparations

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Talks about reparations have been growing throughout the region in recent years, and they have only picked up steam since last year’s royal visit and the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

Published

4 years ago

March 3, 2023

Marlena Leonard

Now, the Bahamas National Reparations Committee is calling on His Majesty King Charles III to act.

In a letter released Friday morning, the Bahamas National Reparations Committee responds to the king’s message to our Governor General, C.A. Smith.

His majesty’s message was delivered by Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Forfar, last Friday, and speaks of the king’s particular interest in and affection for The Bahamas, as well as our resilience and persistence in the fight against climate change.

But the BNRC says these words are not enough.

They go on to compare the devastation of storms’ winds and rains to the “reigns of tyranny” over our ancestors.

The group also references the recent apology of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, for the Netherlands’ role in the transatlantic slave trade, suggesting his majesty follow suit.

They go a step further and, “follow your words with actions”.

The BNRC points to the 10-point plan of the Caribbean Reparations Commission as a reference point.

The 10 points are:

1. Full formal apology

2. Repatriation

3. Indigenous peoples development program

4. Cultural institutions

5. Public health crisis

6. Illiteracy eradication

7. African knowledge program

8. Psychological rehabilitation

9. Technology transfer

10. Debt cancellation

And if not that, the BNRC calls the possibilities endless, pointing to the example of the Trevelyans, a British aristocratic family who publicly apologized to the people of Grenada and proceeded to donate £100,000 to the University of the West Indies as reparations.

While King Charles has solemnly acknowledged the “atrocity of slavery” and spoken of sorrow over events of the past, he has never officially offered a formal apology.

The BNRC closes with the line, “as we look toward the fiftieth anniversary of our nation’s independence, we do so as “one nation” with the expectation of reparations as “our legacy” and “our future”.