KINGSTON, Jamaica – Well renowned social justice advocate and long-time crusader for the Reparation movement, Randall Robinson, will visit Jamaica from October 18-21, as guest of the Jamaica National Bicentenary Committee (JNBC) and the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT). He will deliver a Public Lecture, “Why Reparation Matters”, at the Jamaica Conference Centre on Friday, October 19, 2007, at 10am.
Born in Richmond, Virginia, Robinson is a graduate of Virginia Union University and Harvard Law School. He is the founder and former President of “TransAfrica”, the organization that spearheaded the movement to influence U.S. policies toward Africa and the Caribbean. He played a significant role in the dismantling of apartheid in South Africa and in the pro-democracy movement in Haiti.
Randall Robinson
He is the author of several critically acclaimed books, including An Unbroken Agony, which explores the heroic and tragic history of Haiti; Defending the Spirit, an insider’s memoir of how Washington shapes policy toward the Black world, and The Debt, a compelling case for reparations, what the U.S. owes Blacks for American slavery. His latest book, The Reckoning, explores what Blacks owe each other.
The Jamaica National Bicentenary Committee (JNBC) has staged several events during the year to commemorate the Bicentenary and highlight the active role and resistance of our ancestors, which eventually secured their freedom.
Part of the JNBC’s mandate, is to advance the cause of reparation and increase public awareness of the justification for pressing the Caribbean’s case for reparation for slavery and the trade in Africans.
The case is being made to the former European colonial powers, and especially Britain, which flourished from the trade and slavery for two centuries, from the 17th to the 19th Century, participating in what many regard as the greatest crime against humanity.
The JNBC is in the final stages of preparation of a discussion document on Jamaica’s case for reparation.
While former UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, the Anglican Church and others have variously expressed regret and apologies for their participation in the trans-Atlantic trade in Africans that relocated forcefully over 15M Africans to the Americas, they have entered no serious discussions on reparation. It is hoped that the Anglican Archbishop of York and Primate of England, will address the matter of reparation when he visits Jamaica in early October, as guest of the local Anglican Church.
Randall’s Public Lecture is geared towards explaining the case for reparation and will target young people in Secondary schools. However, it is open to the public and anyone who wishes to have solid information on the topic.
