The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Reparations Committee will on Monday September 15th, mark the 1st anniversary of the launch of the regional reparations movement here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
A release from the Committee says this first anniversary will be observed with a week of activities, which will run from Sunday September 14th to Friday September 19th.
It will begin with members of the SVG Reparations Committee attending a church service at Faith Temple Church in Kingstown from 9:30am. The activities will continue throughout the week ending on Friday September 19th with a movie night and general discussion on the reparations issue at the UWI Open Campus.
The movie “Twelve Years a Slave” will be shown from 7pm. Other activities include radio appearances, School and community outreaches, and newspaper articles.
The release says the SVG Reparations Committee is currently focused on mobilizing mass support for the reparations movement and sees as its number one priority currently, to educate people on the issues relating to reparations and, through education, to garner their support for the cause.
A recent address to the British House of Commons on July 16th 2014, Chairman of the CARICOM Reparations Commission Professor, Sir Hilary Beckles, expressed the view that the reparations process will bring honour and dignity to the people of the Caribbean as well as the people of Great Britain and Europe. He also predicted that “this 21st Century will be the century of global reparatory justice.”
The Chairman of the Commission outlined the injustices of slavery and the genocide that occurred as a result of European expansion and stated that the government of Great Britain and other European governments that benefited from slavery and colonialism “have a case to answer to in respect of reparatory justice.” Sir Hilary asked the government to respond with humility and openness when they receive a request for dialogue on the issue of reparations from Caribbean Governments. He further urged the Parliament to take decisive action to correct “the terrible wrongs of the past.”
As we continue the fight for reparations the SVG Reparations Committee is re-echoing its call for the former colonial masters to meet with CARICOM for a discussion on the reparations issue, since we believe that the journey towards reparations must begin with a conversation between those who benefitted from slavery and those who suffered as a result of slavery
