Issue - meetings

Motion received:

 Atonement and Reparation for Bristol’s role in the Transatlantic Traffic in Enslaved Afrikans (TTEA) 

Differences in power manifest in asymmetrical access – a privilege which continues to run along racial lines. To re-imagine race equality, we have to be mindful of the past and how inequalities continue to manifest. We should reflect on how racial inequalities are embedded in the current economic system. Afrikan heritage people and communities systematically have poorer economic outcomes. Unless these systemic failures and their drivers and sources are identified and addressed, we are in danger of replicating them in any attempt to design a fair and resilient economy.

Historical attempts to disenfranchise these communities have resulted in the disproportionate health, economic and policing impacts experienced today. Alternative solutions and spaces are therefore needed, spaces which do not seek to privilege certain groups over others but seek to centre these voices, change the template, and create alternative solutions and spaces for Afrikan heritage people to thrive.

‘Reparations’ is a legal term defined by the UN which calls for ‘holistic repair’. Our city and our country need a ‘process of repair’ to re-examine the reality and impact of Afrikan enslavement and its ongoing impact on communities today. As outlined by the UN, reparations should be holistic and can include many initiatives including public apologies, social justice initiatives, education, cultural projects, commemorative ceremonies and affirmative action. Nobody has the answers as to exactly what reparations should look like – that’s why what we are calling for is a process of repair which hears from many of the voices in our communities that have been impacted and are often not heard.

Full Council notes: 

1.     The racial wealth divide is an economic archaeological marker rooted in the multigenerational history of the Transatlantic Trafficking of Enslaved Afrikans (TTEA). To repair this division and to address the uncomfortable truth that lighter skin did (and continues to) confer greater advantage, reparations for this legacy must be part of the equation. The historical legacy of centuries of enslavement is fundamentally at the core of current poverty amongst people of Afrikan descent and this legacy has been left untreated.

2.     Reparative justice is about far more than money and is an acknowledgement of a crime against humanity. It is a recognition that no crime against humanity can occur with impunity. Reparations programs for victims of human rights violations are intended to bring justice to the victims. They are distinct from development, reconstruction, and victim assistance programs because they are a legal entitlement. They signal recognition that a human rights violation occurred and that victims were harmed and are therefore entitled to redress.

3.     Bristol played a major role in the Transatlantic Traffic in Enslaved Afrikans (TTEA) which saw over 15 million Afrikans forcibly trafficked to the Caribbean and America with many thousands losing their lives during the crossing from Africa to the Americas on ships registered in Bristol. A significant amount of the institutional and corporate wealth of our city  ...  view the full agenda text for item 104

Councillor Lake moved the following motion:

Atonement and Reparation for Bristol’s role in the Transatlantic Traffic in Enslaved Afrikans (TTEA) 

Differences in power manifest in asymmetrical access – a privilege which continues to run along racial lines. To re-imagine race equality, we have to be mindful of the past and how inequalities continue to manifest. We should reflect on how racial inequalities are embedded in the current economic system. Afrikan heritage people and communities systematically have poorer economic outcomes. Unless these systemic failures and their drivers and sources are identified and addressed, we are in danger of replicating them in any attempt to design a fair and resilient economy.

Historical attempts to disenfranchise these communities have resulted in the disproportionate health, economic and policing impacts experienced today. Alternative solutions and spaces are therefore needed, spaces which do not seek to privilege certain groups over others but seek to centre these voices, change the template, and create alternative solutions and spaces for Afrikan heritage people to thrive.

‘Reparations’ is a legal term defined by the UN which calls for ‘holistic repair’. Our city and our country need a ‘process of repair’ to re-examine the reality and impact of Afrikan enslavement and its ongoing impact on communities today. As outlined by the UN, reparations should be holistic and can include many initiatives including public apologies, social justice initiatives, education, cultural projects, commemorative ceremonies and affirmative action. Nobody has the answers as to exactly what reparations should look like – that’s why what we are calling for is a processof repair which hears from many of the voices in our communities that have been impacted and are often not heard.

Full Council notes: 

1.       The racial wealth divide is an economic archaeological marker rooted in the multigenerational history of the Transatlantic Trafficking of Enslaved Afrikans (TTEA). To repair this division and to address the uncomfortable truth that lighter skin did (and continues to) confer greater advantage, reparations for this legacy must be part of the equation. The historical legacy of centuries of enslavement is fundamentally at the core of current poverty amongst people of Afrikan descent and this legacy has been left untreated.

2.       Reparative justice is about far more than money and is an acknowledgement of a crime against humanity. It is a recognition that no crime against humanity can occur with impunity. Reparations programs for victims of human rights violations are intended to bring justice to the victims. They are distinct from development, reconstruction, and victim assistance programs because they are a legal entitlement. They signal recognition that a human rights violation occurred and that victims were harmed and are therefore entitled to redress.

3.       Bristol played a major role in the Transatlantic Traffic in Enslaved Afrikans (TTEA) which saw over 15 million Afrikans forcibly trafficked to the Caribbean and America with many thousands losing their lives during the crossing from Africa to the Americas on ships registered in Bristol. A significant amount of the institutional and corporate  ...  view the full minutes text for item 104