GEORGETOWN, Guyana, MC -The descendants of a British enslaver, John Gladstone, Friday offered “sincerest apologies” to the people of Guyana for the actions of Gladstone” in holding your ancestors in slavery in Demerara.”
In a message, Charles, Caroline, Robert, Felix, and Xanthe Gladstone, as well as William Merison, said that they are “deeply honored” to have been invited here by The Guyana Reparations Committee and The International Centre for the Study of Migration and Diaspora at the University of Guyana.
In the message by Charles Gladstone, they said, “It is a particular honor to be here at the launch of this new and vital department, whose work we are keen to support.
“We profoundly thank both of these organizations for welcoming us to Guyana and supporting our attempts to create a brighter future.”
The descendants of Gladstone acknowledged that “slavery was a crime against humanity, and its damaging impact continues to be felt across the world today.
“It is with deep shame and regrets that we acknowledge our ancestor’s involvement in this crime and with heartfelt sincerity that we apologize to the descendants of the enslaved in Guyana. In so doing, we recognize slavery’s continuing impact on the daily lives of many.
“We understand that we cannot change history, but we believe that we can have an impact on the world in which we live, and in apologizing for the actions of our ancestors, we hope to work towards a better future.”
They said they support the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) 10-Point Justice Plan and are urging the British government to enter into meaningful discussions with CARICOM so that both parties can move towards a better future together.
“We also urge other descendants of those who benefitted from slavery to open conversations about their ancestors’ crimes and what they might be able to do to build a better future.”
The descendants said that they have been helping to fund some of the work of the Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery at University College London for the past two years and have committed to this for five years.
“We are funding other British cultural projects that seek to highlight the horrors faced by enslaved people and to educate British people about these crimes against humanity.
“As a wider family, we will be creating a financial fund to assist various projects in Guyana, and we will be discussing the use of these funds with our hosts. We aim to create meaningful and long-term relationships between our family and the people of Guyana.
”In writing this heartfelt apology, we also acknowledge Sir John Gladstone’s role in bringing indentured laborers to Guyana and apologize for the precise and manifold injustices of this,” they said.
On Thursday, President Irfaan Ali said that while he regards the acknowledgment and apology as being the first steps in the process of reparative justice, he is reiterating an earlier call “on those who were complicit in and who profited from the trade in captive Africans and African enslavement to offer just reparations,”
Ali said that the intended apology should include compensation and reparative justice issues and that those involved should be posthumously charged for crimes against humanity.
The Guyana head of state said the call for reparations was not intended to promote or leverage shame or guilt over the slave trade and slavery.
“It is not extortion. Instead, the demand for reparations is a commitment to righting historical wrongs.”
History has revealed that Gladstone was an absentee owner of plantations in Jamaica and Guyana, building on his wealth earned from the mercantile trade in India, the United States, and the West Indies.
After the British seizure of the Guyana colonies in 1803, John Gladstone began investing in them. His interests and acquisitions included, at one time or another, plantations at Belmonte, Covenden, Hampton Court, Industry, Met-en-Meer-Zorg, Success, Vreed-en-Hoop, Vreedenstein, and Wales.
Gladstone was also the chairman of the Liverpool West India Association, one of the most critical groups defending the interests of West Indian plantation owners.
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