April 10, 2026
It was about time some international body of note formally acknowledged the atrocity of the Slave Trade. To enslave someone or a group of people has to be one of the greatest sins in mankind. Remember the Jews being enslaved in Egypt and what God had to do with the Egyptians for them to release the Israelites
The slavery of the Africans in the New World was just as bad. No other crime against humanity comes close, with a very good honourable mention to the genocide of the Armenians at the hand of the Ottoman Turks. Even then that was overshadowed by the genocide of the Congolese at the hand of King Leopold of Belgium, which was a bi-product of slavery in any event.
However, in the most recent history, events like the Holocaust take precedent over the degradation of the African- from the first slaves brought to the New World to the Jim Crow era in the United States and the subsequent civil rights movement. The lasting effects of slavery on the annals of history has a lasting effect as descendants of the Africans brought to the New World have not been given their just due.
We never had the head start that our Caucasian brothers and sisters had to gain wealth and have the opportunity to develop in a healthy and prosperous way. That must change. This new resolution in the United Nations may be a great first step.
However, we must be mindful of where we send any reparations money and emoluments. No money should go to any particular government in power for them to distribute it to its people. And giving money to individual citizens who are descendants of slaves would also be problematic.
What should happen is that Memorandum of Understandings should be written with agencies like the relevant Universities and other social support agencies like healthcare systems and also environmental protection partners to funnel consistent support and funding to these entities over the course of a certain number of years.
Secured funding for scholarships, enhanced professional development training and hiring, inclusive of bringing in top tier scientists and other professionals to develop critical areas in the economy in order for the countries most saturated with slave descendants could have a chance to develop themselves.
This is a great start.