Everyone invited to join reparations events – NRC Chairman Saint Lucia
St. Lucia NRC Chairman Earl Bousquet says everyone is invited to join the events being hosted this weekend on reparations. The events are being held to coincide with World Creole Day and St. Lucia Creole Heritage Month.
The first is a National Youth Forum at the Castries City Hall on Friday October 28. On Saturday October 29 a CARICOM Reparations Baton Relay which culminates in a Rally at the Dereck Walcott Square will be held. During the relay a special baton will be passed from Antigua and Barbuda to St. Lucia. Mr. Bousquet explained that the passing of the baton at the rally on Saturday would be significant since it was being passed to each Member State that had a National Reparations Commission. He was speaking at a press conference on Thursday at the Office of the Prime Minister in St. Lucia.
Regional Youth Coordinator, Reparations, Richard Berwick also spoke at the press conference. He encouraged the youth to fully participate in the activities especially the youth forum. He said young people needed to get involved so that the work on reparations would continue into the future. He also explained that a number of preconceived notions about reparations would be addressed at the youth forum and posited that as another reason for persons to attend. According to Mr. Berwick reparations was not just a one time thing and dialogue and efforts would not stop Sunday after the events come to a close.
This is our fight, this is our war… we have to rewrite the history books he said.
Immediately after the press conference the CARICOM team made a courtesy call on Ambassador to CARICOM and the OECS H.E. Cosmos Richardson who pledged his support for the upcoming events.
The Youth Fora, Relays and Rallies are expected to happen in the 12 Member States that currently have National Committees on Reparations. The CRC countries are: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago. Rallies have already been held in Barbados, Guyana and Suriname and most recently in Antigua and Barbuda earlier in October.