A Member of Parliament is calling for the Anglican Church to lead the reparations charge.
Edmund Hinkson, the representative for St James North and a former government minister wants the church to “seriously consider” granting reparations for the people of this country.
“Let’s start with the transfer of the lands so that people can be empowered,” he told the House of Assembly on Tuesday, during debate on a resolution to approve the National Physical Development Plan as amended in 2023.
Referring to the Church’s ownership of several acres of local lands, the MP said it was time to discuss the enfranchisement of Barbadians. That discussion must include reparations from the United Kingdom and other European colonisers for their role in slavery, he explained.
Such a move could help to move generations out of a cycle of poverty.
Hinkson said a recent study has estimated the reparations bill at trillions of dollars, of which over $4.9 trillion was owed to Barbados.
“A lot of people don’t like to have this conversation but the time has come for it,” he insisted.
The former Cabinet minister said while the money is not likely to be repaid in currency, it could come in support for education and health to try to get citizens out of intergenerational poverty.
“In Barbados, we have the situation where the Church of England, the Anglican Church, has to give some reparations too. Recently, the Church of England, without conversing with us, agreed to give back $100 million. It is more than nothing, but the role of the Anglican Church in slavery in Barbados is well documented.
“Yes, the Anglican Church has played a role in our development. It has always been said that Barbadians were better educated during colonisation, but the fact is that a lot of that education went towards keeping black people in a subservient position. The Anglican Church needs to pay reparations in this country as well,” Hinkson contended.
The St James North MP suggested that the church sell to the tenants who are on its lands in St George and St John. (SP)
