When Britain abolished slavery in 1834, slave owners were compensated with some 20 million pounds -- the equivalent of two billion today. The slaves got nothing. That has not been forgotten by the descendants of slaves in Jamaica, as David Cameron learned last week. Asked by a reporter if Britain has any intention of paying reparations for the slave trade that thrived when Jamaica was a colony, Cameron emphasized that he was there to strengthen ties and "look to the future." University of West Indies sociologist Verene Shepherd is chair of the Jamaica Reparation Commission and Vice Chair of the Caribbean Community Reparation Commission.
KCRW
