British Baptists Apologize In Jamaica For Transatlantic Slave Trade
'Slave Chains' Photo from Visit and Learn
British Baptists publicly apologized in Jamaica in May of this year for the role of their ancestors in enslaving Africans. Since yesterday was Jamaica’s Emancipation Day it caused me to reflect on the Transatlantic Slave Trade. During my reflections, the apology from the Baptist Union of Great Britain came to mind.
It seems that feelings on apologies, reparations and enslavement are on a lot of people’s minds today. The news headlines a few hours ago announced that the US presidential candidate Obama opposes apologies and reparations to African Americans for the enslavement of their ancestors. I will not yield to the temptation to take on that one. Instead I will base my reflections on the apology of the British Baptists. Let me deal with our Jamaica and our history, and leave Barack Obama and the US story…for now.
Read full text of the British Baptist Apology and watch a (Baptist Missionary Society) BMS video interview of BUGB Rev. Johnathan Edwards prior to the trip to Jamaica.
Read the rest of my reflections at After The British Baptists Apologize.
Peace,
Marvia
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August 3rd, 2008 at 8:05 am
Hi Rev M,
I’m right there with the others that say “now what?” It seems to be fashionable to apologize for slavery as of late. Could it be because the countries that benefited from slavery know that the descendants of slaves are not demanding something tangible?
Reparations are in order! Not monetary hand out reparations because all that will happen is there will be a rise in Mercedes Benz purchases. I’m thinking more on the lines of institutional reparations like the following;
-free education on every level. The first step will be to get rid of his-story and replace it with our-story.
-the following is one of my Marcus Garvey ideals. 100% funding for nation building. Nation building is usually what happens after a war (like what they are supposedly doing in Iraq). We suffered/are suffering the same effects of war because of slavery. Our best, brightest, educated, experienced, non-greedy, nationalistic minded people will be hired to assist us towards the greater good. That means we’d have to get rid of all the non-productive people in governments around the world that are supposedly governing ‘us’.
-100% funding for community building and community education. We need re-learn the importance of community. And we must have equal housing, infrastructure, recreation facilities etc…
I think these things would be a start.
Peace,
KA
August 3rd, 2008 at 4:52 pm
KA,
Great recommendations! I’m not naive enough to say give money just for giving money’s sake. I can see those Mercedes Benz arriving too!!
I am interested in funding nation building. Now instead of say giving us money or aid which comes tied with all kinds of conditions that get us in more debt. How about making one move toward reparations be wiping out all debt owed by countries of the two-thirds world??
Jamaica for example, owes US$14 billion in debt. Fifty (50) cents of every dollar goes toward paying off debt. That leaves only 50 cents to take care of the needs of Jamaicans.
Imagine the noose that would be removed from the neck of poor Jamaicans if we didn’t have that debt burden. Our country’s education, health for starters would receive a breath of fresh air = new life for Jamaica!
Peace n Love!
August 4th, 2008 at 8:53 am
Exactly my point! Apologies are given with nothing substantial demanded. During the 400 or so years of slavery, how much FREE money was derived from the blood, sweat and tears of Jamaican slaves? I bet it would wipe out that debt in a heartbeat!
Reparations would have to be with no strings attached. Period. However, we’d need to shake up the ‘old mind set’ of doing things and replace it with innovative minds. No sense removing all that debt just to have the heads of state mismanage the new money available.
Wow, 50 cents of every dollar? That is a lot!
Peace,
KA
August 5th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
KA,
And it is the last that also beset us. Too often we demonstrate by our actions that we cannot be trusted to manage that which is entrusted in our care.
Some argue that this is an inherent weakness in our race. It’s a tempting school of thought. Look at Africa and the entire African Disapora…. Is it inherent weakness or is it that there might be something wrong with the Western models of governance for the race and regions? Like the introduction of Democracy in the Middle East?
What do you think?
August 11th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
I do not believe we have an inherent weakness. I do believe that we have puppet governments in place throughout the Diaspora. Remember we were colonized first. Therefore, the mindset and greed of current governments was taught/inherited by the majority.
Whenever a government stands up against the so-called democratic (which is actually a republic that lends itself the major BS that happened in the last two US presidential elections) ‘norm’ they become ostracized -Cuba, Libya, Venezuela, Iran for example.
Unless a government learns how to a) sustain itself with its resources and/or know how, b) place emphasis on the betterment of its people -for example Curacao and Finland, it seems they will forever be puppets indebted to the superpowers.
A revolution must occur (if only in our thought process) in order have change.
Sometimes I wonder if I see things to simplistically <—-is that a word? It seems to me there are many progressive thinkers who are in position and understand what it takes to have this ‘revolution.’ But nothing yet. Maybe it hasn’t snowballed or maybe I’m just not ‘in the know’.
KA