European Countries Pushed to Consider Reparations for Slavery

Historians are fighting to get countries to recognize the benefits to large nations from the slave trade. They are asking that the trade be recognized as a crime against humanity, which would open the door to reparations. Activists are set to send letters to a long list of countries, including Britain, Denmark, Portugal, Spain and The Netherlands, asking to them to acknowledge the debt they owe to the descendants of slaves. France has already agreed to acknowledge the evils of slavery as a social and political crime.

The European Memorial Foundation for the Slave Trade is planning to appeal to the French Senate on May 10. The appeal is backed by the French historian Louis Sala-Molins and John Franklin, from the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington.

"There are several reasons for this, including its symbolic value, to restore the memory of this crime against humanity," said Karfa Diallo, chairman of the foundation told news service AFP. "There's also a question, shall we say, of justice.

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Slave History Unearthed

As "Sarah," Johnson plays a fictional slave who puts a human face on the grim statistics: In 1760, Philadelphia's population was 11,000; about 1,100 were black, and nearly 900 of them were slaves.

BlackVoices.com

Slave History Unearthed

Actress Diane Johnson portrays "Sarah," a fictional slave during speaks to a tour group in character at Christ Church's cemetery in Philadelphia. Philadelphia's most famous Colonial-era church is opening the eyes of visitors with the revelation: Slaves worshiped alongside parishioners like Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross.

Slave History Unearthed

The remains of buildings, including the house George Washington lived in while he was president, are shown at the sight of an archaeological dig in front of the Liberty Bell Center, top right, in Philadelphia, in this June 5, 2007, file photo. Historic Philadelphia's ties to slavery emerged in a big way in 2007 as an estimated 250,000 people witnessed the excavation of a slave passageway in the President's House, where Washington lived while Philadelphia was the nation's capital.

Slave History Unearthed

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama D-Ill., speaks about race during a news conference just blocks from Independence Hall and the Christ Church burial ground in Philadelphia, Tuesday, March 18, 2008. the city's most famous Colonial-era church is opening the eyes of visitors with a revelation: Slaves worshipped alongside parishioners like Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross.

Slave History Unearthed

The city's ties to slavery emerged in 2007 as an estimated 250,000 people witnessed the excavation of a slave passageway in the President's House, where Washington lived while Philadelphia was the nation's capital.

Slave History Unearthed

As "Sarah," Johnson plays a fictional slave who puts a human face on the grim statistics: In 1760, Philadelphia's population was 11,000; about 1,100 were black, and nearly 900 of them were slaves.

Slave History Unearthed

Founded in 1695, Christ Church was the first parish of the Church of England in Pennsylvania and the birthplace of the U.S. Episcopal Church. Tours are given daily, but special presentations on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons offer slavery-related narratives.

Slave History Unearthed

Given that France has stepped forward to acknowledge the evils and long-term consequences of the slave trade, the group is working to get other European countries to follow-suit. The group argues that the slave trade has had tragic consequences in Africa, the Caribbean and Europe. In 2001, France passed a law stating that slavery was a crime against humanity and then president Jacques Chirac declared May 10 to be the national day of remembrance for slavery victims.

"If we accept that it was a crime, then there should be reparations. All crimes deserve compensation for victims and punishment for perpetrators," Diallo also related to the news service. "We'd like to see the creation of an international memorial fund, that would support a School of Memory. A fund managed by the United Nations."

Some feel that the discussion of slavery reparations in Europe can convince the United States to get on board. The US Congress has been hesitant to bring up the topic of slavery, because acknowledging slavery too much might cause critics to begin conversations about reparations. African American family wealthy is about 1/10 that of white families, with many of these differentials rooted in slavery and Jim Crow laws that remained in place after slavery was abolished. A recent study showed that the median net worth of a single African American woman is only $5 dollars, and some say that this is also an artifact of the slave trade in America.

The economic benefit of slavery to its perpetrators is clear, as is the long-term financial harm caused to the descendants of its victims. Do you think that that black community world-wide should push for reparations? How important is this possible boon to the economic development of the African diaspora?

Lawrence Watkins is the CEO of the Great Gospel Speakers Bureau. For more information, please visit LawrenceWatkins.com.