Jamaica to petition King Charles III for slavery reparations on Sept. 6
Key Points(5)
- She said September 6 marks the date in 1781 when the slave ship Zong departed West Africa for Jamaica carrying 442 enslaved Africans.
- During the voyage, the ship encountered difficulties and its captain ordered enslaved Africans to be thrown overboard in an effort to claim insurance for the loss of cargo.
- A total of 140 enslaved Africans were killed, and the ship eventually arrived in Black River, St.
- Elizabeth, on December 21, 1781.
- “We erected a monument to the murdered Africans in Black River where the ship docked.
The Jamaican Government will formally petition Britain’s King Charles III for reparations for slavery on September 6, a date Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange described as a “historic day.”
Grange made the announcement on Tuesday during her contribution to the 2026/27 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives.
She said September 6 marks the date in 1781 when the slave ship Zong departed West Africa for Jamaica carrying 442 enslaved Africans. During the voyage, the ship encountered difficulties and its captain ordered enslaved Africans to be thrown overboard in an effort to claim insurance for the loss of cargo.
A total of 140 enslaved Africans were killed, and the ship eventually arrived in Black River, St. Elizabeth, on December 21, 1781.
“We erected a monument to the murdered Africans in Black River where the ship docked. Interestingly, when Hurricane Melissa devastated the town, it was the only monument standing as if to remind us of our duty to seek reparatory justice,” Grange said.
She explained that the petition will ask the King to refer three questions to the Privy Council, Jamaica’s final appellate court, concerning the criminal nature of the transatlantic trafficking and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans in Jamaica.
The first question asks whether the forced transportation of African people from their homelands to Jamaica and their subsequent enslavement were lawful, given that the unauthorized removal and enslavement were contrary to fundamental principles of common law.
The second asks whether the forced transportation and enslavement of people of African descent up to 1838 constituted crimes against humanity under international law for which the United Kingdom bears responsibility.
The third seeks to determine whether, in light of those actions and their continuing consequences, the United Kingdom is obligated to provide a remedy to the Jamaican people for the unlawful transportation and enslavement of African people in Jamaica under British rule up to 1838.
“This request is made to His Majesty the King in his capacity as head of State of Jamaica and from whom we expect protection,” Grange said, adding that Jamaica has the full support of the Caribbean Community in pursuing the action.
Grange noted that the enslavement of Africans in Jamaica lasted for more than 300 years and that when emancipation was achieved in 1834, plantation owners were compensated for the loss of “property” while formerly enslaved people were subjected to a period of apprenticeship.
She also highlighted that on March 25, the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Slave Trade, the Government of Ghana secured the adoption of a United Nations resolution declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans to be the gravest crime against humanity.
“Jamaica and the rest of Caricom supported the declaration. Regrettably, all the countries of Europe abstained,” Grange said.
The minister invited all Jamaicans to join the national conversation and movement for reparatory justice on behalf of their ancestors.
