Photos: YouTube Screenshot\Wikimedia Commons
The enchanting murmurations of starlings reveal a breathtaking collective movement and profound unity, often inspiring in me a deep yearning for such clear collaboration in our own turbulent times. This desire for a guiding force was brought into sharp focus by a remarkably cruel comment received after the publication of my podcast on slavery, particularly concerning the prominent issue of reparations. I won’t repeat it here — I want to keep this article ‘clean’. But suffice to say, it reminded me again of the effortless harmony of the starlings’ surge and swirl, in contrast to the chaos and division in human discourse — especially on sensitive topics. And Reparations is most certainly a sensitive topic.
This longing for a clear guiding force is particularly salient in our present geopolitical landscape, defined by the relentless march of authoritarianism, the rising tide of merciless wars against civilians, and a brutal assault on climate justice. The world desperately needs genuine leadership and unity. With each passing year, I become increasingly convinced that the pursuit of reparations is inextricably intertwined with the quest for climate justice. A just cause, after all, demands not just a hearing but a fair and open one, with the inherent opportunity for re-evaluation if needed.
In the UK, a recent Guardian investigation published ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Black Lives Matter protests, revealed that only a third of the recommendations from major reports on tackling endemic racism in the UK over the past 40 years have been implemented. This analysis has led experts involved in those enquiries to urge the government to break the “doom loop” of inaction.
To illustrate that “doom loop”, and to set the stage for the debate on reparations for slavery and Colonialism, I will start by sharing a controversy from the 1990s that rocked both the British Conservative Party and the entire country to its very roots. I had a ringside seat to this drama in Cheltenham, an English town, and, as fate would have it, a small but then-hidden part to play in the unfolding events. READ MORE…
