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Birmingham Conference on Reparations, ‘What Do Reparations Mean?’
Birmingham Conference on Reparations, ‘What Do Reparations Mean?’
De-briefing on preparatory conference on African reparations
An important feature of the Birmingham Conference were the papers presented. In The Black Agenda for the Next Century: Rethinking the Past, Dr Patrick Wilmott articulated the urgent need for Reparations, in order to safeguard the future of Africa, Africans and African descendents from the persistent conditions of racism, Eurocentrism and neo-colonialism: “in the diaspora Africans are discriminated against, abused, harassed, denied promotion and murdered in random racist violence. On the continent, in wars reminiscent of the Slave Trade, outside forces supply both sides with weapons to wage war against their own people”.
African Reparations UK Committee: A Working Conference on Reparations, Birmingham Town Hall, 1993
The Black Agenda for the next century by Dr P.F. Wilmot
The most famous speech that has originated from Britain’s Reparations movement, and that which remains seminal in the history of Reparations activity, was delivered by Bernie Grant, entitled ‘Reparations or Bust!’. This speech formed the basis of many public addresses as part of Grant’s speaking tour in the time between the Abuja conference of April 1993, and the Birmingham Conference in the same year. The version of this speech which has been documented in written form, is that which Grant delivered at a rally in Birmingham to a crowd of 300. He also spoke in Brixton, North London, Manchester, Liverpool, Leicester and elsewhere. Grant’s speech touched on many key issues, one of which was the issue of reclaiming Africa’s influential role in the history of humankind. Another, was the role that Black politicians should play in the Reparations movement: “We have not been in a position before in Britain where people like me, Members of Parliament who can raise matters in Parliament, who can get reported in the newspapers. Well it is about time that we put some of these people to the test – because if you are a person of African origin, knowing the situation and you sit in the House of Commons and do nothing and do not raise these issues, you are doing a disservice to your people”.
Reparations and a new global order: a comparative overview by Professor Chinweizu
In ‘Reparations and a New Global Order: A Comparative Overview’, by Professor Chinweizu asserted that the global system which made the ‘African holocaust’ happen, should be replaced by “a different global order where holocaust will never happen to us”. Chinweizu also argued that African self-organisation was essential for reparations, and “reparation is not even mostly about money; in fact, money is not even one percent of what reparation is about”. The Birmingham Conference papers have been archived in Bernie Grant’s collection, and a recording of the event also exists. The ‘Draft Strategy Paper on Reparations and Repatriation’ by the Ethiopian World Federation Incorporated outlined among other things, the importance of mobilising Britain’s Black communities: “There already exists a body to spearhead the campaign in Britain [ARM]… what is now required is that this campaign is grounded firmly within the grass-roots African communities in Britain”. What all of these papers had in common, was their reference to the existent examples of reparations for crimes against humanity, in the form of apologies, political and financial retributions paid to other historical oppressed and brutalised nations and communities. As these papers stressed, no such recompense had been received by Africans and African descendants.
Ethiopian World Federation inc. Draft Strategy on Reparations and Repatriation
Birmingham Declaration
Following the precedent set by the Abuja Conference, the Birmingham Conference culminated in the Birmingham Declaration. This declaration emulated the format and arguments present in the Abuja Proclamation, but sought also to place Reparations in a British context, with mention of fateful victims of British racist violence: “Convinced that the murders in Britain, of Rolan Adams, Stephen Lawrence, Joy Gardner, Cynthia Jarrett, Omakase Lumumba and others” were the result of the same system responsible for those historic crimes against Africa and Africans, which “continues to marginalise, mis-represent and oppress us”. The Birmingham Declaration also pointed to the systemic racism manifest in disproportionately high levels of unemployment, poor housing, the over-representation of Black people in mental health institutions and in prison, the miseducation of Black children in the education system, and so forth. In this way, the Declaration drew on the global situation of Africa, Africans and African Descendants while also addressing the domestic issues affecting Britain’s Black communities, providing a clear link between the two.
