The international movement for reparations for slavery is taking another step forward as Jamaica steps up its efforts to secure compensation from the United Kingdom for its role in slavery and the transatlantic slave trade. Jamaica’s Minister of Culture Olivia Grange is planning a trip to the UK to personally meet with King Charles over the issue, even as the British government remains resistant to fully taking responsibility for slavery.
Jamaican delegation to deliver petition to King Charles
The Guardian reports that a Jamaican delegation will visit the UK in September to deliver a petition to Britain’s King Charles III. As explained by Jamaica’s Minister of Culture Olivia Grange, the petition asks Charles to submit a series of questions to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which has jurisdiction over the UK’s overseas territories as well as some parts of the British Commonwealth, to which Jamaica belongs. The petition asks the council to evaluate the legality of Britain’s forced transportation of Africans to Jamaica during the slave trade and determine whether this constituted a crime against humanity. The petition also asks the council to evaluate whether Britain is obligated to provide restitution to Jamaica for slavery and its aftermath.
Anniversary of Zong slave ship voyage
Grange explained that the petition would be delivered to Charles “in his capacity as head of state of Jamaica and from whom we expect protection,” referencing the position of the British monarch vis-à-vis Jamaica through the British Commonwealth. The date of the visit, Sept. 6, has symbolic importance, as it is the anniversary of the 1781 departure of the British slave ship Zong from West Africa toward Jamaica with 442 enslaved Africans aboard. By the time the ship reached Jamaica, the captain had killed 140 of the enslaved people, throwing them overboard to make insurance claims. The Zong massacre became a major case for the abolitionist movement in the UK, which eventually led to the abolition of the slave trade and slavery within the UK and its colonies.
International push for reparations moves forward
The move by Jamaica builds upon previous efforts by the country as well as a larger movement on behalf of Caribbean and African countries. In 2021, Jamaica began the process of petitioning the United Kingdom for billions of dollars in reparations for slavery and its aftermath. The following year, Prince William and Kate Middleton received a mixed reception when they visited Jamaica, with protestors demanding reparations. In 2025, the plan to petition Charles passed Jamaica’s Parliament and Cabinet, and it was supported by other countries in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). In May 2026, Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama spearheaded an effort by the African Union and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) that led to the United Nations passing a resolution condemning slavery and calling for international reparations. As Blavity previously reported, representatives from a group of African and Caribbean nations then met in Ghana in June and agreed to a 19-point framework to push for reparations and justice for slavery and the slave trade. The plan aims to get “all state and non-state institution” implicated in slavery to “offer full, formal and unconditional apologies as a foundational step towards reconciliation, trust-building and reparatory justice.”
Now, Jamaica is taking the case for reparations directly to the UK and its monarch. It is calling on one of Britain’s top legal councils to make a decision on the legal question of Britain’s centuries-long role in the slave trade and whether it should make restitution to Jamaica for the lasting impact of slavery. If the petition is successful, it could mark a major step forward for the multinational movement for justice and reparations for slavery.