Quakers join Jamaican delegation for reparation talks
Quakers in Britain took part in talks this week with a Jamaican government delegation, in the country to petition King Charles III over reparation for enslavement.
Edwina Peart and Esta Nyeko-Lacek represented Quakers in Britain at a roundtable meeting in London on Wednesday, organised by the Racial Justice Advocacy Forum (RJAF).
The meeting included politicians, lawyers, academics and religious leaders, alongside British churches and mission agencies, to discuss reparation work on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Jamaican delegation, led by Culture Minister Olivia Grange, formally lodged a petition with the King at Buckingham Palace on Monday.
It asks him, as Jamaica's head of state, to refer questions about the legality of the transatlantic trade in enslaved people to the Privy Council. The petition has the backing of the CARICOM countries.
Quaker reparations work
Quakers across Britain have been examining their own historical links to the trafficking of African people across the Atlantic, including tracing connections between Quaker families and businesses and the trafficking of enslaved people.
Quakers in Bristol and Lancaster have agreed formal apologies for their historical links to enslavement.
Reverend Gordon Cowan of the Churches Reparative Action Forum, Jamaica, reminded the group that: "As someone living on the site of these crimes, these apologies do matter, and will continue to matter."
But he stressed the importance of "demonstrating the fruits of this repentance."
Edwina Peart, equity and justice lead at Quakers in Britain, said: “We heard how African chattel enslavement represented a corruption of Christian faith and values.
“Through reparative action, there is an opportunity to restore a more authentic and meaningful expression of what it means to be Christian."
She added: “The call from the Jamaican delegation was not simply for words, but for ongoing accompaniment, meaningful action and a shared commitment to justice.
“We look forward to continuing this dialogue as part of a growing global movement for reparative justice."
The national Quaker reparation working group's conference for Quakers, Truth and Repair: Our Quaker Journey Towards Justice, takes place on 23 October at Friends House and online.