03/27/2026
Today, the United Nations made history.
123 countries voted to officially declare the transatlantic slave trade “the gravest crime against humanity.”
Three countries voted no. The United States. Israel. Argentina.
The UK and EU abstained.
Ghana’s President John Mahama brought the resolution to the floor on March 25, the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery. It was backed by the African Union and CARICOM.
The numbers behind this vote are staggering:
12.5 million Africans were abducted and sold over 400 years. Over 2 million died before they even reached land. Jamaica alone received 1.5 million enslaved Africans. Only 300,000 were alive at Emancipation.
The resolution calls for formal apologies, financial reparations, the return of stolen artefacts, and education funding. It is not legally binding, but it carries the political weight of a global majority.
The African Union has declared 2026 to 2035 the Decade for Reparations. CARICOM’s 10-point reparatory justice plan is now part of a unified front between Africa and the Caribbean.
The US said it does not recognise a legal right to reparations for historical wrongs. The Caribbean and Africa disagree.
This is not the end. This is the beginning of a conversation the world can no longer ignore.
