In Miami, Addressing the Caribbean Case for Reparations

The University of Miami School of Law hosted a major summit this week focusing on the question of reparations for slavery in the Caribbean.

The conference, led by University of Miami Caribbean Law professor David P. Rowe and the school’s Association of Caribbean Law Students, brought together some of the leading minds in the field to address the Caribbean case for reparations.

Looking at issues from the history of slavery to economic impacts of slavery in the Caribbean to the question of calculating potential reparations, panelists addressed the pros and cons of making the case.

The Caribbean case for reparations began in earnest in 2013, when the Caribbean Heads of Government established the Caricom Reparations Commission, with a mandate to prepare the case for “reparatory justice.”

Panelists included Rowe, UM Professor Irwin Stotzky (who addressed the issue of slavery and its impact in Haiti), Maurice McCurdy, representative from Jamaica’s National Committee for Reparations, Don James, president of the Jamaican-American Bar Association.

For two decades, the University of Miami has been home to what is the leading body of coursework on Caribbean Law, single-handedly developed by Rowe.