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Family of Fmr British PM to visit Guyana to apologise for slavery & pay reparations

-Descendants of former PM William Gladstone reparations will fund university research project
When the University of Guyana launches its International Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies, family members of John Gladstone, who owned 2,500 enslaved Africans on his plantations in Guyana and the Caribbean, will be visiting Guyana to apologize for their ancestor’s role slavery. Photo: Internet Source
In collaboration with the National Reparations Committee and Heirs of Slavery, a group that includes the Gladstones will be present when the International Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies is slated to be launched on Friday, August 25, 2023, in the George Walcott Lecture Theatre of the Turkeyen Campus, in Georgetown, Guyana, from 8:30 AM to 11 AM. Photo: University of Guyana
In collaboration with the National Reparations Committee and Heirs of Slavery, a group that includes the Gladstones will be present when the International Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies is slated to be launched on Friday, August 25, 2023, in the George Walcott Lecture Theatre of the Turkeyen Campus, in Georgetown, Guyana, from 8:30 AM to 11 AM. Photo: University of Guyana
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, SA - When the University of Guyana launches its International Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies, family members of John Gladstone, who owned 2,500 enslaved Africans on his plantations in Guyana and the Caribbean, will be visiting Guyana to apologise for their ancestors' role in slavery.

John Gladstone was the father of four-time British Prime Minister William E. Gladstone.

According to reports from BBC News, six of former PM Gladstone’s descendants will travel to Guyana as the country commemorates the 200th anniversary of the 1823 rebellion in Demerara, a British colony that later became part of Guyana.

The report added that a joint statement by descendants said they believed the former PM’s actions during slavery amounted to "a crime against humanity" and that they hoped to “make a better future.”

“The Gladstone family plan to make their official apology at the opening of the University of Guyana's International Institute for Migration and Diaspora Studies, which it said it hopes to help fund with a grant of £100,000,” BBC detailed.

"For us, this isn't just about money though. It is about acknowledging that slavery still has a massive impact on many people's health and wider socio-economic status across the world," the family’s statement said.

Family to pay reparations 

In collaboration with the National Reparations Committee and Heirs of Slavery, a group that includes the Gladstones will be present when the International Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies is slated to be launched on Friday, August 25, 2023, in the George Walcott Lecture Theatre of the Turkeyen Campus, in Georgetown, Guyana, from 8:30 AM to 11 AM. 

The University and Reparations Committee say they have specially invited and continued to invite several elders, the Guyana Reparations Committee and other groups, students and senior potentates to witness receive the formal apology at the short formal ceremony, UG says.

The UK Guardian newspaper reported that in addition to making an official apology for John Gladstone’s ownership of Africans, the Gladstones' descendants have agreed to pay reparations to fund further research into the impact of slavery.

The Gladstone family said they intend to fund the University of Guyana’s International Institute for Migration and Diaspora Studies with a grant of £100,000.

The Guardian reported that John Gladstone was the fifth-largest beneficiary of the £20 million fund (about £16 billion today) set aside by the British government to compensate planters when the Slavery Abolition Act was passed in 1833.

Leaders in the [British] Virgin Islands have also called for reparations for slavery.

41 Responses to “Family of Fmr British PM to visit Guyana to apologise for slavery & pay reparations”

  • Really (22/08/2023, 12:24) Like (3) Dislike (9) Reply
    Evil a.. puppet... If he wants to apologize tell him tell the ELITES to get rid of the money and stop pushing the transgender agenda. If you dumb and don't understand ask him why are you still living as a slave in this devil money system. Without money it wouldn't have robbery,murder,abuse, cheating etc
    Do you know why because everyone will have the same thing as the next person. If you don't have something and I have it I can just give it to you because we're brother and sister so we share and trade to get by. You all don't understand how this world the Almighty Creator gave us is supposed to run. We're supposed to live stress free. Do you see the Bible for filling in front of you with all those fire world wide. Of course this devil puppets is going to start fire to kill children and adults just like the Bible says Wow. The government is the ones killing the people. People will burn in this great reset Mark my words. Everything is electric nothing and of course they can hack into it and start a fire. You all want a smart meter of course they got you. You want technology because you lazy to do thing on your own of course it can catch on fire. Look up fires world wide. You will see what part of revelation we're in. I am dead on point so you need to catch up to me with my knowledge, which is the key to survive this Earth
  • herbs power (22/08/2023, 12:43) Like (8) Dislike (6) Reply
    But we still in slavery. This is a clown show or what.
    • Jones (22/08/2023, 17:11) Like (5) Dislike (4) Reply
      But everyone following the slavery religion!!! Wake up people and stop this christianity nonsense
  • Hmmmm (22/08/2023, 12:43) Like (18) Dislike (8) Reply
    Only some of these fools in the BVI do not see what Britan did to our foreparents and is still doing to us in a modern day form of the same slavery.
    • @ hmmm (22/08/2023, 17:12) Like (9) Dislike (7) Reply
      When will some of you fools stop placing all the blame on the white man and understand and acknowledge that it was our own black man who sold us out to the white man. Sick a ayo and this white man black man story
  • youth man (22/08/2023, 12:48) Like (15) Dislike (18) Reply
    The COI was a modern day slavery tactic to make the BVI people think they can do nothing right and they can only make it if the slave master descendants are in charge. The more things change the more they remain the same. I hope the BVI wake up soon.
  • There is hope (22/08/2023, 12:51) Like (15) Dislike (4) Reply
    Once one race thinks of itself more superior than another race there will always be racism, hatred and slavery. Sadly, this is still the case with the UK and its Overseas Territory.
    • @There is hope (22/08/2023, 14:31) Like (4) Dislike (1) Reply
      Let us hope so because it is clear the descendants of the slave masters from Europe and Britan now realize they wrong the people of the Caribbean and still doing so up to this day, but some of the people of the BVI have some of the same slave master descendants as the BVI's hope for a better future. They are masters at brainwashing people.
  • indeed (22/08/2023, 12:53) Like (5) Dislike (4) Reply
    Tell the British government to follow suit!
  • BLACK PEOPLE AINT GONNA GET A DIME OF THAT (22/08/2023, 12:59) Like (30) Dislike (0) Reply
    GUYANA GETTING ALL THE ATTENTION SINCE THEY FOUND OIL
  • Money makes the monkey dance (22/08/2023, 13:07) Like (13) Dislike (0) Reply
    The only reason this is being done is for oil money. Why not apologize before. Why conveniently come when the economy is on an uptick due to the “discovery” of oil there. Those reparations will come at a cost…be wise dear people of Guyana.
  • hmm (22/08/2023, 13:11) Like (10) Dislike (2) Reply
    They just want in on all that oil money, the whole world have eyes on Guyana.
  • Humm... (22/08/2023, 13:13) Like (7) Dislike (4) Reply
    I guess no one is looking out for our reparation here the BVIs. Seems like our ancestors, left
    from Africa on slave ships to vacation here in the BVI.
  • Asking For Myself (22/08/2023, 13:16) Like (7) Dislike (5) Reply
    When will we get our reparation in the bvi?
    • @Asking For Myself (22/08/2023, 22:26) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
      @Asking For Myself, former controversial Governor Augustus Jaspert answered the question several years ago when asked by a member of press about reparations for the BVI. He emphatically stated that reparations was not in the cards for the BVI and went on to advocate that the BVI should preserve for historical purposes the name of historical landmarks bearing the name og UK citizens, ie, Francis Drake channel, etc.
  • ann (22/08/2023, 13:22) Like (4) Dislike (7) Reply
    The uk are just terrible at running the economy, unless it’s into the ground. Free the bvi people free the drew
  • Black Lives Matter (22/08/2023, 13:34) Like (3) Dislike (4) Reply
    The oppressors and racist are great at communication, even it is just absolute nonsense.
  • Rubber Duck (22/08/2023, 13:43) Like (2) Dislike (5) Reply
    Why can't we all be friends and just get along with each other, let’s forgive the evils of the white man
    • @rubber duck (22/08/2023, 14:35) Like (1) Dislike (5) Reply
      The white man used a lot of spiritual evil to destroy and enslave the Caribbean people. They are still doing it worse than ever but have the BVI people especially most Pastors blind to this and only can see their own people. God is our only refuge from these evil-minded people because they do not and will not ever think anything good of us. Let us not fall for this mind game anymore in the 21st century.
  • Manjack (22/08/2023, 13:48) Like (8) Dislike (3) Reply
    King Charles III and Parliament legally sanctioned the slave trade, Slavery, and Colonialism, so, both the Crown and Parliament should issue an apology and take action for reparative Justice. The slavery institution, in addition to its dehumanizing, brutal, violent, murderous, rape, separation of families and slaughtering of culture, history, heritage, customs, courtesies, language, religion, etc, role, built the UK’s economy and created vast individual/ personal wealth, creating generational wealth. Generational wealth benefitted and continue to benefit the descendants of Slave owners, i.e., Gladstone family. The slave descendants deserve and are entitled to reparative justice. Regional slave descendants are still living from the legacies,,impacts and pathologies of slavery.

    Moreover, some slave owners descendants give the excuse that they should not be paying reparations to the descendants of slave, for they didn’t 1)own any slave, b) slavery was long ago, c) they should not be held liable for the sins, atrocities, etc, of their foreparents..Well, that dog is not going to hunt or canary fly this guava crop. Simple question, have you benefited and still benefiting from slave labor? Yes, you have and benefiting to this day. How so?

    Slavery, exploiting and expropriating slave labour built the UK’s economy. Additionally, it structured a system whereby Whites the dominant class deemed themselves as the upperclass with special unearned privileges, entitlements, and racially superiority. They structured the system where they acquired almost 100% of the wealth, power, control, resources, the levers of government, justice system, educational system, medical system , housing, economic system, social safety nets, etc. On the other hand, Blacks were cast as subhuman (equivalent to field animals), permanent underclass, an out group, a non-competitive labour force, etc. Moreover blacks are labeled as being fully and completely responsible for their deplorable conditions, for they failed through their corrupt and warped attitude and behaviours to take advantage of available opportunities. Hogwash. The Lion share of Blacks deplorable status resulted from White dominant status and controlling actions.

    Further, everyone but slave descendants benefitted from the fruits of slave labour. To date, descendants have not even gotten a simple apology for slavery,,the dehumanization, exploitation, rape, brutality, murder, etc., of their forebears. Time is long past for a) an apology from the Crown, and Parliament, and b) reparations. Here is a news flash. In spite of the common belief,,reparations is not only about a cash handout but also about a) national economic development, b) education and training investment (slaves were deliberately kept ignorant by preventing their learning how to read , write,,and do basic math. It was planned ignorance ), c) debt forgiveness, d) developing infrastructure, e)developing health system, etc. The British government authorized and appropriated the borrowing of £20, 000,000 under the 1833 Abolition Act to pay approx 3,000 Slave owners for the lost of their chattel property( people)—-UCL ( University College of London). If the British government borrowed money to pay slave owners, why not do the same for slave descendants?? Is it racial ?? Incidentally, the £20, 000,000 was paid off in 2015, which meant that some Black Britons were paying taxes to pay for a loan that paid slave owners who may have owned their forebears. How ironic!!
    • Sambo (22/08/2023, 17:08) Like (5) Dislike (0) Reply
      @ Manjack, real talk. The Sambos will come out in force hitting the dislike button, thinking that, that is enough to change the facts without providing a strong counter argument(s). Nonetheless,,the colonialists and their blind Sambo disciples are going to be happy with your discourse. Facts are unalterable regardless of how one may try to alter them. The creative alternative facts us not a substitute for facts. Reparative justice is the right thing for slave descendants.
    • Article (22/08/2023, 22:15) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
      @Manjack, this should be a separate commentary. It is chock full of factful information.
  • Truth (22/08/2023, 14:05) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    Always negotiate from a position of advantage. Scarcely any superpower, or for that matter, any entity possessing significant influence, acts altruistically. We must confront and acknowledge this prevailing truth.
  • People (22/08/2023, 14:23) Like (3) Dislike (4) Reply
    The British officials are trying to instill fear in their overseas territories so they will never have the guts to rise up against their modern-day actions and tactics of slavery. This is why they use things like Order in Council, COIs, and Governors who can look into to everyone and anything in the islands, but the islands systems whether judiciary or otherwise are not allowed to look into the actions and conduct of the Governor and other UK Officials. All these are modern form of slavery cloaked as good governance, but they are NOT!!! The people of the Overseas territories which include the BVI MUST WAKE UP NOW before it is too late.
  • forefathers (22/08/2023, 14:24) Like (12) Dislike (6) Reply
    ask the African forefathers why they sold brothers and sisters into slavery . then also ask them for reparation.
    it takes a seller and a buyer to make a trade...not just the buyer is at fault
    • Stealth (22/08/2023, 16:58) Like (6) Dislike (3) Reply
      @Forefathers, you are not a truly representing what our forebears would have wanted..You are a fake and a Trojan horse trying to avoid doing the right thing. You are trying to rationalize not providing reparative justice. I was at the verge of attempting to present a reasonable take on slavery. But it then it occurred to me that if one argues with a fool now there are two fools.
      • forefathers (22/08/2023, 20:47) Like (2) Dislike (2) Reply
        @ stealth
        then please tell me what they ( forebears) would have wanted when they sold kin folk into slavery...i i am not saying that the buyers are not to blame, nor that reparation should not be sought from the traders.. what i am saying is that it is always conveniently forgotten or frowned upon when discusses, that black people in Africa were sold to traders by their own kin...but everyone goes after the white traders and no mention is ever made of the black traders who sold their own into lives of misery abuse starvation and death...all for their own selfish gain
        • Stealth (24/08/2023, 12:59) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
          @Forefathers, I’m confident you know this but tribal leaders in Africa were constantly engaged in conflicts, battles, wars, capturing and holding opponents for ransom. As European traders, Arabs, Moors, etc traders made in roads into the interior of Africa, trading with tribal leaders providing trinkets ( similar what Columbus did to the Caribs and Arawaks) for valuable resources(The Doctrine of Unequal Exchange which drained Africa of its vital natural resources) included in the trade with tribal leaders were human capital held in captivity. Another blogger who I cannot remember made a DMV analogy several articles ago, which I endorsed. If the DMV issues a drivers license to a recipient who was subsequently hired by a trucking company and the hired driver get in an accident, is the DMV to blame.

          Moreover, the Crown and Parliament who legally sanctioned the slave trade, slavery and colonialism (Manjack) should be held liable for both apologies and reparations. Was it not slave labour that pulled Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries out of a deep depression, disease, feudalism, etc?? Did not Britain borrowed £20M to pay slave owners? Why did they not go the tribal leaders for the filthy lucre?
  • boi (22/08/2023, 16:13) Like (1) Dislike (3) Reply
    Don't you get tired of writing and blogging to your own writing and blogging to your own bloggings ,
    do eat / drink / sleeping and dream about racism ? All you do is spew our evilness , you need spiritual healing - you are in a fantasy world
  • RealTalk (22/08/2023, 16:32) Like (3) Dislike (5) Reply
    Typical blacks always want. Get and never enough. Want to live off hand out all there life. Not enough doing. Just sitting wishing and hopes
  • Fake attention (22/08/2023, 16:34) Like (1) Dislike (2) Reply
    "Family of Fmr British PM to visit Guyana to apologize for slavery & pay reparations"
    Fake attention.
    So, when he apologized, what will change? NOTHING.. not a darn thing because the "white man" still enslaving the back. The Indians still have racism against black Gayanies in Guyana.
  • HAHA (22/08/2023, 18:02) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    Good play by the Brits! Guyana you all want to go, they will one up you...petty. bvi will wait for that reparations chorus. Not getting anything!
  • again (22/08/2023, 18:09) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Ask the activist mr.slowman what he thinks of this.Is he still on the grind.Is he slowande at times Natalio at other times.
  • Reparation (23/08/2023, 03:31) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    So 100,000 pounds is what they are paying for reparation?
  • Honestly (23/08/2023, 08:32) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    Guyana has more oil now that's all. Do you really believe that these families lose sleep over slavery, just another business venture.
  • Lyes (23/08/2023, 08:44) Like (0) Dislike (2) Reply
    Who told u we were sold buy or brother that a trick of the evil one to keep us from knowing the real truth look at it today would u sell your children not even to save your self u rather choose death first our people hate each other because the told us so in order to eat we have to kill our brother they afraid for us to come together why u think the speak so bad about africa think but still them going buy the million and suck out our wealth our birth wright blk people please open our kah come out of her my people go home before it too late no body coming to save us dont look for jesus he not coming
  • Contradiction (23/08/2023, 13:47) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    so....100,000 in reparation is peanuts right ??
    but hang in a minute.. one of the bloggers above made the comment that.....so what..pay 100,000 and it all goes away..?
    extend that to this thought. if uk paided out 100,000,000...would that actually change anything ?? of course it wouldnt. all it would mean us that those who actually receive some of that money ( and how that gets worked out who the heck knows) are simple hypocrites...benefiting financially from the pain and tragedy of black people who were sold out of Africa and enslaved..it doesnt make it right that black people would be being essentially paid off by way of reparation.........better the hundreds of millions of reparations $$ be used to build universities or schools or housing in honour of those who gave their lives hoping for a better future
    • @Contradicton (24/08/2023, 12:38) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
      @Contracfiction, here is a news flash. Reparative justice though marketed conveniently as slave descendants looking for cash handouts is not about just cash handouts; it also entails debt forgiveness, investment in economic development, investment in education and training plans and programs, etc.


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