Could you tell us your name, where you’re from, and a little bit about your background? 

My name is Vernaire Bass. I am the CEO and founder of 664 Connect Media, which is based in Montserrat, where I currently reside. I migrated to the UK when I was 13 years old. If you know anything about Montserrat, you’d know that three-quarters of the island was destroyed by a volcano. I lived in the UK for most of my teenage and adult life, but I returned to the island in 2019 to give back and contribute the skills I gained abroad to the regeneration and redevelopment of Montserrat. 

One of the things I did when I returned was to create 664 Connect Media, realising the need for greater connection with the diaspora. That’s how 664 Connect Media came about – to act as a bridge, providing up-to-date information about the island on a regular basis. Our infrastructure was destroyed during the volcanic eruptions, so now we use social media to provide that connection. 

From your understanding of repair, what do you think is missing from the conversation about reparations?  

There have been many international discussions about reparations. People in first-world countries often wonder where the money will come from and who is responsible for paying it. But what they’re missing is that reparations are about creating a level playing field because so much was stolen from our communities, our land, our culture. Reparations won’t completely fix the issue, but it will start leveling that playing field. Colonials exploited our land, and while we can’t get that back, financial reparations can help balance things out. 

One important point that many people seem to miss, especially younger generations like Gen Z and millennials, is that even though we didn’t directly experience chattel slavery, it still affects us. Some people may wonder, “How does this affect me?” But the societies we live in are shaped by its legacy. For me, one of the biggest things I take away is the ongoing trauma of mental slavery, and the fact that many of us are still mentally enslaved. There has to be a focus on healing that trauma, passed down through our DNA. 

So I don’t think that reparations should only focus on financial compensation or rebuilding infrastructure, but should also be about giving us back that confidence that we have lost over generations. We always see ourselves as other, or second best, or not good enough. So I think repair matters so we can invest in developing our mindset, so that when we get this money, we spend it the right way. It’s not that money hasn’t passed through the region, but I think sometimes it’s our mindset that holds us back from spending that money in the correct manner.  

You mentioned mental enslavement – and as you know, ‘Psychological Rehabilitation’ is a part of CARICOM’s Ten-Point Plan for Reparatory Justice. In what ways do you see this “mental oppression” manifest itself, based on your experience?  

Have you ever heard of the “Willy Lynch Letter?” 

Some people think it’s a hoax, but it outlines how to create the “best slave”. It focused on the mental side of oppression of enslaved people. For example, the Willy Lynch Letter speaks about dividing people was through colorism – placing lighter-skinned slaves in the house and leaving darker-skinned slaves in the fields – because it said, if you want to create the “best slave”, you have to create division. If you look at our society today, you can see this legacy in things like skin bleaching, which is still prominent in places like Jamaica and even internationally. 

Another tactic in the letter was to publicly punish alpha males in front of other enslaved people, breaking their spirit down to prevent others from rising up. It was all about crushing spirits and spreading division, which we still see in our societies. Even though we as black people have not experienced chattel slavery directly, we still carry with us that slave mentality. We are discriminated against because we’re black, and sometimes think we can’t do anything because we’re black. So in a lot of instances we don’t even try, because it’s been ingrained in us. Developing that willingness to try is such an important part of psychological repair for me. 

Based on your experiences in Montserrat and the UK, why does repair matter to you? 

In Montserrat, we’re a UK overseas territory which means we have never gained independence. As a result we’re still very dependent on the UK –  Around 60% of our funding comes from them, and only 40% is made up through local taxes. There’s this dependency mindset, where people often think, “we should ask the UK” whenever there’s a problem. I think this is exacerbated by the volcanic eruption, which wiped out a large part of our infrastructure. The entrepreneurial spirit has been dampened, and that mentality of relying on the UK is hard to shake. Here in Montserrat, there’s this ingrained sense that we can’t fend for ourselves, which is a lingering effect of colonialism. 

Another major issue is the idea that first-world countries are better than ours. Many young people, as soon as they graduate, want to leave for places like the UK or the USA. We’ve been conditioned to believe that we’re not as good, and this has led to a brain drain in the region. 

This was reinforced during the Windrush era, when the UK encouraged us to come and help rebuild their country after World War II, instead of building up our own islands and creating industry. So not only did they take away our resources during chattel slavery, but then they came back in a different way and took away all the people too. This migration prevented us from building up our own countries and reinforced the idea that the “master’s land” is better.  

Even technology, which played a key role in colonisation and domination, and is part of CARICOM’s Ten-Point Plan (9. The Right to Technology Development), is still being used against us because access to technology is one of the main reasons for the brain drain and migration.  

Repair matters because we need to invest in the people-capacity of our country if we are to thrive. 

In light of all these reasons for why repair matters, what is your hope for the future in terms of reparations for the Caribbean?  

My hope for the future is that reparations help not just financially, but also psychologically. It’s like the parable of teaching someone to fish instead of just giving them a fish. If we don’t address the mental trauma and help people develop the mindset to rebuild, we’ll be stuck in the same situation.

That’s why it’s so important to focus not just on giving money but also on supporting education, business development, and a sense of patriotism – so we don’t keep thinking the grass is greener on the other side. My hope for repair is that the younger generation will re-inject their skills into their local communities and take things forward positively so that we can start to rise up to the level of those first-world countries as well.

Each country needs a tailored approach to reparations, based on its specific history and needs. It can’t be a one size fits all approach.

I’m ready to do my part in raising awareness about reparations by having more conversations like these as a repair ambassador because I think more people need to know about our history and understand what’s going on with the movement today so they can get involved.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences, Vernaire. Your perspective has been invaluable. Remember to sign our petition for reparatory justice for the Caribbean and share it with your networks. 

Thank you for having me. I hope this conversation opens up new ways of thinking about repair and healing. And I will definitely be sharing it and the amazing work The Repair Campaign is doing.