The Reconstituted National Committee on Reparations said it will not stop until justice is served for crimes committed against those enslaved.

Speaking at a news conference yesterday at NAPA, Port-of-Spain, the committee announced that it had devised an action plan which includes everything from receiving a formal apology, debt cancellation, as well as the elimination of public monuments and signage that celebrate those who, it said, benefited from colonial crimes.

In September 2023, the Cabinet appointed the committee to pursue reparations for Native genocide and African enslavement from all European colonisers of the region.

Yesterday, the committee kick-started its first annual National Reparations Week and its chairman Dr Claudius Fergus stressed the importance of reparations.

Fergus said, “Reparations for genocide and enslavement of native peoples is the natural culmination of the struggle against colonialism and neo-colonialism… We will not allow those who oppressed us to deter us or to decide what is justice for the crimes that they have committed against us.”

Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne said reparations are about justice as he called for not just Trinidad and Tobago but Caricom to unite on the issue of reparatory justice.

Browne said, “Reparations is not just about the past but it’s also about the future. It is about justice… It is imperative that Trinidad and Tobago and our Caricom partners leverage all available channels and speak with one voice on the issue of reparatory justice including the deployment of our overseas missions to be actively engaged in playing a role in educating our diaspora.”

The National Reparations Week will include a series of events aimed at raising awareness and educating the public with a focus on educating youth about reparations in both Trinidad and Tobago.