ONE OF the UK’s most respected Black history experts has thrown his full support behind a landmark reparations conference set to take place in London this weekend.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Afrikan Reparations (APPG-AR) has attracted politicians, experts and grassroots groups from all over the world, to examine the question of reparations to atone for the atrocities of slavery.
The meeting will prove historic. Voices from all across the African diaspora will convene in London, to discuss how to make reparations a reality in a never before convened round table international gathering.
One of the key speakers is Robin Walker, known as ‘The Black History Man’ due to his colossal knowledge of black history and his commitment and mission in passing it on to others.
Walker is known for authoring, among other works, arguably the most comprehensive guide to African history, ‘When We Ruled’, a widely celebrated achievement and immeasurably useful resource
He’s respected for challenging the narrow Eurocentric view of history, making his work and speeches hugely popular and in demand.
Speaking to The Voice about the landmark reparations conference Walker said: “Reparations need to become a reality. The wealth gap between those descended from the enslaved and those descended from the enslavers isn’t going away anytime soon.
“Those whose ancestors underwent slavery are trillions of pounds poorer than they should have been. Compounding for unpaid interest, enslaved people lost trillions in unpaid wages, trillions due to the false imprisonment of enslavement, and trillions due to the unjust enrichment underpinned by forced labour.
“Enslaved Africans benefited the western world by brains as well as brawn. Enslaved Africans brought useful agricultural technologies, metallurgical skills, mining techniques, etcetera, to the West.”
Speaking about the unique nature of the conference he added: “The importance and significance of the weekend’s event is that it will put reparations back on the Black British agenda. It will address a major historic injustice at a time when the government is attempting to clamp down on what it calls ‘wokeness.’”
The conference comes at a time when global discussions about reparations have intensified, making the historic meeting all the more important and necessary.
The reparations movement has been gathering momentum in recent years, with many believing that the conference marks an important step in finally making it a reality.
Robin Walker has an online adult Black History course which can be found here