Barbadians awarded government-funded scholarships in reparatory justice.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC -The Barbados government has awarded scholarships to three nationals to pursue postgraduate studies in reparatory justice.

“This initiative marks another step in Barbados’ efforts to ensure that the country’s reparations agenda is supported by practitioners whose work can contribute to a deeper understanding of reparatory justice and will aid in strengthening the pool of knowledge and research available to the country,” said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office with responsibility for Pan-African Affairs and Heritage, Trevor Prescod.

The first-ever recipients of the government-funded scholarships have been named as Akil Ifill, Peter Cole and Lee-Anne York, who are pursuing the MSc/MA Reparatory Justice Double-Degree Program.

Ifill is studying at The University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus, while Cole and York are studying at the University of Glasgow (UofG) in the United Kingdom.

The pioneering double-degree program, launched in 2023 and directed by the Glasgow-Caribbean Center for Development Research (GCCDR), is a collaboration between the Beniba Center for Slavery Studies in Glasgow and the Center for Reparations Research, UWI, Mona, Jamaica.

“We are delighted to welcome the first government of Barbados scholars to the flagship Reparatory Justice double-degree program. The government’s investment recognizes the importance of research and scholarship in the pursuit of reparatory justice,” said Professor Simon Anderson, co-Director of the GCCDR at the UWI.

“This partnership program between The UWI and the UofG, supported by these awards from the Office of Pan-African Affairs & Heritage, will enable our three scholars to gain the knowledge, research skills and perspectives needed to advance the reparatory justice agenda in Barbados and across the Caribbean. We look forward to welcoming many more Barbadian scholars to the program in the years ahead.”

The MSc/MA Reparatory Justice combines theoretical study with practical research skills and prepares students for rigorous theoretical and applied research using archival sources, interviews and legal frameworks.

It includes core topics such as Slavery, Conflict and Human Rights and Qualitative Approaches to the Study of Political Violence, and culminates with a substantive research project on reparatory justice.

The degree was first conceptualized under a historic 2019 Memorandum of Understanding between The UWI and UofG, which also established the GCCDR. In 2024, the program awarded degrees to five trailblazing scholars who became the world’s first graduates of the Master’s in Reparatory Justice.