Jamaica’s reparations petition is no ‘frivolous’ exercise – Prof Verene Shepherd

Professor emerita of social history at The University of the West Indies, Verene Shepherd has described Jamaica’s reparations petition before the Privy Council as a critical first step in the country’s wider pursuit of reparatory justice, arguing that it should not be dismissed as a frivolous exercise. She said the historical evidence underlying it is essential to understanding the continuing effects of slavery and colonialism on Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. It's a petition grounded in history and the experiences of our ancestors,” she said.

Jamaica’s reparations push has entered a new chapter, with Culture Minister Olivia Grange disclosing Tuesday that King Charles III had referred the island’s September 7 petition to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. Jamaica is now awaiting directions from the committee on the next steps. READ: Grange: King Charles responds to Jamaica’s reparations petition; refers matter to Privy Council Shepherd, who is a member of the National Council on Reparations, was part of the Jamaican delegation that travelled to the United Kingdom to file the petition.

The well-respected educator told Observer Online that her role in the delegation was to provide historical evidence to support the legal case. “I was the historian on the panel, in the delegation,” Shepherd said in a phone interview while attending the third annual conference of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Reparations Commission in Barbados. Shepherd said the petition is grounded in the history of the transatlantic trafficking of Africans and chattel enslavement in Jamaica, including the forced seizure and transportation of Africans across the Atlantic.

She said while she is not a lawyer or legal scholar, the lawyers involved in preparing the petition believe the legal route is sound. Under Section 4 of the Judicial Committee Act of 1833, Jamaica petitioned the King to refer three questions to the Judicial Committee concerning whether the seizure, transportation and enslavement of Africans were lawful under English law, whether the practices breached international obligations, and whether the United Kingdom has a legal obligation to provide a reparatory remedy to Jamaica. Shepherd noted that the petition does not currently seek a specific monetary payment at this time.

“Yes, for now,” she said when asked whether the petition…