AU to Seek UN Recognition of Slave Trade as Crime

Is reparatory justice a moral imperative or is it a historical shakedown that ignores who profited from slavery?

Published MAR 12

AU to Seek UN Recognition of Slave Trade as Crime

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Above: The African Union Headquarters building in Addis Ababa on Feb. 14. Image credit: Marco Simoncelli/AFP/Getty Images

The Spin

Progressive narrative

The transatlantic slave trade stands as the gravest crime against humanity, and global recognition through the U.N. is long overdue. Reparatory justice isn't symbolic — it's a strategic commitment grounded in sound legal foundations and an undeniable moral imperative, which will advance justice and restore dignity after centuries of enslavement, colonialism and exploitation.

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Conservative narrative

The latest push by the AU and others to elicit reparations centuries after the end of the transatlantic slave trade is nothing but a glorified shakedown. The demands punish ordinary people in the U.S. and Europe for the sins of their ancestors, while conveniently ignoring the role of African kingdoms in enabling the trade, as well as that of powers such as the U.K. in ending it.

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