Trevelyan Family Fund Supports 50 Grenadian Students
Caribbean reparations advocates cite the private fund as a model for government action ahead of a Commonwealth summit in Antigua.
By Evelyn Henderson ·
British journalist Laura Trevelyan pledged 100,000 pounds, roughly 134,000 dollars, to fund education in Grenada in 2023.
The initiative was born from a public apology by Trevelyan, whose ancestors owned plantations on the island.
The Trevelyan fund has since provided bursaries and scholarships to more than 50 students in Grenada.
Nicole Philip, vice-chair of the Grenada National Reparations Committee, stated that the family’s actions demonstrate a viable path for national governments.
"If a family can come forward, apologise, and make reparations payments, why not the British government?" Philip said. "Why not the royal family?"
Commonwealth leaders are gathering in Antigua and Barbuda this week to discuss slavery and reparatory justice.
King Charles is scheduled to deliver a speech on Tuesday, while Prime Minister Andy Burnham will also attend the summit.
Burnham wrote in the Guardian on Saturday that he is open to a formal apology from Britain.
He argued that current citizens should not be held liable for historical wrongs that occurred under different laws in a previous era.
The Prime Minister proposed a new drive on debt to help vulnerable nations repay loans over longer periods at better rates.
Trevelyan told Reuters that she hopes the British government and royal family will address the present day legacies of the past.
She specifically called for climate-resilient infrastructure in the Caribbean as a way to repay the debt from the slavery period.
Source: KOYY
