Slavery apology by BBC reporter... and 100 relatives
A BBC journalist has published a letter from 100 members of her family to apologise for their ancestral connections to slavery.
Laura Trevelyan, 54, signed the formal letter to ‘the people of Grenada’, saying sorry for ‘the actions of our ancestors in holding your ancestors in slavery’.
In reference to a payment from the New York-based TV reporter, the letter added: ‘After consulting with Grenada National Reparations Commission, Laura Trevelyan is making a donation of £ 100,000 to establish an education fund at the University of the West Indies Grenada.’
The letter was presented by seven family members, whose forebears are said to have held more than 1,000 slaves and six sugar plantations in the 19th century.
The text also said: ‘Slavery was and is a crime against humanity. Its damaging effects continue to the present day. We repudiate our ancestors’ involvement in it.
We apologise to the surviving descendants of the enslaved on those estates for the continuing impact on their daily lives, their health and wellbeing.’
The letter also urged the UK to take part in ‘ meaningful negotiations’ with governments in the Caribbean, so as to make ‘appropriate reparations’.
Ms Trevelyan tweeted a photograph of the letter signed by 104 ‘ descendants of Sir John Trevelyan of Nettlecombe and Wallington’. Her donation will be taken from a pending BBC pension payout, according to The Guardian. In 1834 her ancestors are believed to have received today’s equivalent of £3million in compensation for the abolition of slavery.
Other members of the family are ‘ donating money toward
‘Instruments of torture’
bursaries’ at the university as well as supporting an educational programme.
Ms Trevelyan has spoken of being badly affected by a visit to Grenada last year.
She told the BBC: ‘It was really horrific. I saw for myself the plantations where slaves were punished – I saw the instruments of torture that were used to restrain them.
‘I felt ashamed, and I also felt that it was my duty. You can’t repair the past – but you can acknowledge the pain.’
The Trevelyans are an ancient Cornish family.