Opinions & Features

A British millionaire MP whose family was involved in the slave trade is being asked to pay reparations

It is estimated that around five million enslaved Africans were shipped off to the Caribbean during the transatlantic slave trade. At the time, the demand for sugar in Europe became very high.

For the enslaved Africans who were able to endure the long and treacherous journey, they were forced to work on vast plantations in dangerous conditions while their enslavers benefited from their toils. The Drax family from Britain was one of the benefactors, and people are calling on them to atone for their slavery history by way of paying reparations.

Located in Barbados and built somewhere around 1650, the 621-acre Drax Hall – a still-functioning sugar plantation – is referred to as the “killing field” for alleged atrocities committed against enslaved Africans who worked there. Thousands of enslaved Africans reportedly died on that plantation, and the Drax Hall, for 200 years, also had up to 327 enslaved people working there, according to the Sunday Mirror.

“Black life mattered only to make millionaires of English enslavers and the Drax family did it longer than any other elite family,” Sir Hilary Beckles, the chair of the Caribbean Community Reparations Commission said.

Drax Hall is the oldest residential property in the Western hemisphere and cultivated the first sugarcane in Barbados. Now in the name of family descendant and Tory Member of Parliament Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax, current workers on the plantation lamented on their poor conditions of service to the news outlet.

Drax, who is estimated to be worth £150million ($200,850,000) and inherited the plantation from his deceased father, continues to profit from the family business. Workers on the farm are reportedly paid as low as £24 ($32) a day. The average wage in the Caribbean nation is double that.

“They used to give a little extra to the people who had retired. But nothing last few years. I ain’t had nothing. I don’t think the rest of the retired people are getting any either,” a former worker said.

A current worker also added: “People in agriculture endure low wages and do the hardest work. It’s hard work and it ain’t easy. You get to work when the rain falls and you get to work when the sun is hot.”

Following the abolishment of slavery in 1836, the plantation had to part ways with 189 enslaved workers. The UK government, however, paid the Drax family a current rate of $3million (4,017,000) in compensation.

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror after he was elected in 2010, Drax distanced himself from his family’s past, saying: “I can’t be held responsible for something 300 or 400 years ago. They are using the class thing and that’s not what this election is about, it’s not what I stand for and I ignore it.”

Sir Hilary, however, disagrees and says it is prudent for the MP to atone for his wealthy family’s past. According to him, the Drax family’s involvement in the trade resulted in some 30,000 enslaved people dying in Jamaica and Barbados.

“When I drive through Drax Hall land I feel a sense of being in a massive killing field with unmarked cemeteries. Sugar and Black Death went hand in glove,” he said. “It’s no answer for Richard Drax to say it has nothing to do with him when he is the owner and inheritor. They should pay reparations.”

Barbados Ambassador to CARICOM, David Comissiong, also said: “This was a crime against humanity and we impose upon him and his family a moral responsibility to contribute to the effort to repair the damage.

“You can’t simply walk away from the scene of the crime. They have a responsibility now to make some effort to help repair the damage.”

Besides calls for Drax to pay reparations, the Sunday Mirror reported he is also yet to declare the property in the MPs’ register of interests despite putting the business in his name this year. Per parliamentary rules, MPs must register lands that have “a value of more than £100,000; or forms part of a total property portfolio whose value exceeds £100,000; and/or provides rental income of more than £10,000 in a calendar year”.

The millionaire MP, however, told the news outlet: “I reject the assertion that I failed to declare any Barbados property holdings once owned by my father, as these are going through the probate process and not yet transferred to my name.

“Once that process is completed, I will of course register it in proper accordance with the rules. I am keenly aware of the slave trade and the role my very distant ancestor played in it is deeply, deeply regrettable.

“But no one today can be held responsible for what happened many hundreds of years ago.

“This is a part of the nation’s history, from which we must all learn.’’

Francis Akhalbey

A reader once told me I lack the emotional maturity to cope with mythological breasts. I support Manchester United, by the way. And L.A. Lakers.

Recent Posts

Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton says his little brother was racially abused while watching him play

Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton has said that his little brother was subjected to racial abuse,…

2 days ago

This is how Reggie Bush got his Heisman Trophy back after 14 years

Reggie Bush has regained his place as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner after over a…

2 days ago

Nick Cannon says he is a lupus warrior as he undergoes blood treatment after decade of battle with condition

Since 2012, actor Nick Cannon has openly shared his struggle with lupus to support others…

2 days ago

Here’s how much NFL draft’s No. 1 pick Caleb Williams will earn

Former USC superstar Caleb Williams has been drafted by the Chicago Bears as the No.…

2 days ago

Stephen A. Smith on the money mistake he made that got him fired from ESPN

Stephen A. Smith is an ESPN analyst. People widely regard him as the face of…

2 days ago

‘Hip-hop’s best basketball player’ Lil Durk is giving HBCU students a chance to win $333K in scholarships

Lil Durk is an American rapper and one of the most influential voices in the…

2 days ago

Kevin Hart’s Gran Coramino Tequila donates over $1 million to small Black and Latinx businesses

In 2022, Kevin Hart added a new title to his impressive resume: a tequila entrepreneur.…

2 days ago

‘Nothing was handed out to me’: Swerve Strickland on becoming the first Black AEW World Champion

AEW's latest pay-per-view, Dynasty 2024 on Sunday night saw Swerve Strickland defeat Samoa Joe to…

2 days ago

Opal Lee: 97-year-old ‘Grandmother of Juneteenth’ to receive 8th honorary doctorate

Renowned civil rights activist Opal Lee, known as the "Grandmother of Juneteenth," will be awarded…

2 days ago

Gun violence: Mississippi mother’s two sons fatally shot in the space of a month

Violet Horne lost her two sons to gun violence within the space of a month.…

2 days ago

Ohio police released K-9 on man after mistakenly believing he was driving stolen car

An Ohio man said a K-9 bit him seven times after he was pulled over…

2 days ago

Namibia: Outrage after tourists are spotted posing naked at Big Daddy dune

Three male foreign tourists who were spotted posing naked in a popular dune in Namibia…

2 days ago

Will.i.am partners with media veterans to acquire Uproxx, HipHopDX and more to form new studio

Will.i.am is partnering with other prominent figures to revolutionize the digital media scene by forming…

3 days ago

Meet Eritrea’s Sabelle Beraki who built a thriving toy business out of frustration

Sabelle Beraki's childhood was inundated with the lack of representation when it came to a…

3 days ago

How an entrepreneur used LinkedIn to raise $13.8 million

Benjamin Harvey is the founder of AI Squared, a third-party software company that helps organizations…

3 days ago