No Backing Down From Reparation Calls – Jamaica Minister

Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, Hon. Mike Henry, says Jamaica will not back down from its push for reparation for the descendants of enslaved Africans.

He noted that while the smatterings of compensation from a few organisations is a good place to start, and the country is encouraged by the show of support, a piecemeal approach is not the best way for Jamaica to attain full and satisfactory payment for slavery and its effects.

“There will be no moving on as though nothing happened. We are not listening to that kind of talk. The world knows what happened to our people during slavery because it is well documented,” he said.

Minister Henry was addressing the ninth staging of the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) annual Heritage Competition Awards Ceremony on Monday (November 25), at the Mona Visitors’ Lodge in St. Andrew.

Stating that slavery was the greatest crime against humanity, Minister Henry said that “our call for compensation is serious business. The wrongs of slavery cannot be made right by anything less than a robust country-to-country response.

Read more at: Jamaica Information Service

Source: CARICOM TODAY