Juneteenth 19th and the Jamaican Connection

June 19, 2020 By | Hopeton O’Connor-Dennie |

It was on the 19th of June 1865 that slavery was abolished in the State of Virginia USA. By that time slavery was long dusted in the West Indies of which Jamaica is an Island. By 1867 the tiny Caribbean Island state of 97 percent black people called Jamaica was granted “Internal Self Government” from Britain.

Police Force

Jamaica’s national police force was established in 1867.

Commonwealth Of USA

It was the 19th of June 1865 that slaves were set free down South in the USA. It was in Galveston.

Abraham Lincoln, a slave owner and alleged rapist of female slaves was President of the United States of America, and sat in the White House.

Reparation

The decision of entities like Lloyd’s Bank of London, Simon Fraser and Jesus College to pay compensation for slavery. Simon Fraser had committed to pay 400,000 pounds.

1833

In 1833 the enslavers were compensated for loss of their means of production. That is freed slaves in the Caribbean.  They were compensated 20 million pounds.

Loan

A loan was obtained to pay the enslavers. It was 2015 that this loan was finally paid off. It was taxpayers who footed the repayment of this loan.

Descendants Of Slaves Pay Back Loan

It is not farfetched to conclude that it is the descendants of slaves who actually helped to pay back this loan that was granted to compensate the slaveholders who conducted an inhumane slave trade years ago. That is shameful!

Descendants of slaves were never compensated.

1865

Why did it take so long after the abolition of slavery in the West Indies for the US authorities to end slavery? It was 1838 that there was abolition of slavery in Jamaica and the West Indies.

The reparation move by certain entities in Britain is a move in the right direction. Their consciences have been pricked. Long live the Black Lives Matter (BLM.) Movement.

Hopeton O’Connor-Dennie is Senior National & International Correspondent for Vision Newspaper