Jean Jackson | Racism: Shared root of slavery and migration

The transatlantic slave trade and contemporary black migrations share a common root: systemic racism. The structural alienation currently experienced by black migrants globally is a perpetuation of the injustice and the otherness that provided justification for colonisers centuries ago.

Ethiopia, for example, was never colonised, yet its migrants endure the effects of neocolonial practices: orchestrated wars, resource plundering, and economic impoverishment. To exclude them from the reparations debate on the grounds that they did not experience direct colonisation is to ignore modern forms of domination.

These contemporary dynamics force black populations to migrate while excluding them from discussions on historical injustice. Ignoring these realities risks reproducing the very inequalities the reparations movement aims to address.

BEYOND NATIONALIST SCOPE OF REPARATIONS

In many countries, reparations are viewed as a strictly national issue. The debate on historical reparations for Afro-descendants often excludes a significant portion of the black diaspora: Afro-migrants. This compartmentalisation, rooted in colonial structures, fosters artificial divisions and weakens efforts towards truly global justice. In the US, this view is reinforced by narratives that pit Afro-migrants against African Americans descended from slaves, often ignoring the crises – sometimes provoked by Western powers – that forced these migrants to leave their homelands. For instance, the US invasion of Haiti from 1915 to 1934 profoundly impacted the country’s history and triggered migration waves, the effects of which are still felt by their descendants.

Movements like the American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) advocate for reparations to be exclusively reserved for the direct descendants of American slaves. At the same time, politicians such as Senator Mitch McConnell rejected the very notion of reparations, claiming that contemporary white Americans cannot be held accountable for past crimes. He also cited black migration as an obstacle to distinguishing reparations recipients.

In Argentina, a similar debate arises around historical reparations and quotas for Afro-descendants in public administration. Should these quotas be reserved solely for the descendants of local colonial-era slaves, excluding Afro-migrants? Yet, Afro-migrants play a key role in combating racism and advocating for civil rights in Argentina.

These arguments, though somewhat different in their basis, share a common refusal to acknowledge systemic responsibilities for historical injustices towards black populations. One reduces historical injustices to strictly individual connections, while the other denies any collective debt. Both perspectives ignore the fact that slavery, colonisation, and forced migrations have had global consequences, necessitating equally global solutions.

To exclude Afro-migrants from the conversation on reparations is to adopt a position similar to that of white individuals who deny responsibility for slavery, claiming that they were not direct participants. These stances erase the collective legacy of oppressive systems and perpetuate the inequalities they created.

BUREAUCRATIC MECHANISMS AS TOOLS OF INJUSTICE

Administrative systems, often presented as neutral, are, in reality, instruments of exclusion. Take the example of a child born in the United States to Haitian parents. Without a Haitian passport, they might be excluded from reparations in Haiti. But even with such a document, discriminatory laws could restrict their political participation due to dual nationality.

In their country of birth, they might also be excluded because they lack a direct connection to the local history of slavery. This dual exclusion embodies what has been described as systematic dehumanisation: borders, laws, and bureaucracies deprive Afro-descendants of full recognition as historical actors.

JUSTICE WITHOUT BORDERS

For reparations to be a genuine tool for transformation, discussions must transcend national boundaries and include all those who still endure the consequences of colonialism and slavery. Historical reparations cannot be confined to national or economic frameworks. Repair must be recognised as a universal right for all Afro-descendants. True justice will only come when we decolonise the frameworks of thought and boundaries built on colonialism.

Integrating a migratory perspective into the reparations debate means acknowledging that Afro-migrants are essential actors in the struggle for global justice. This struggle is not about “capitalising” on the suffering of our shared ancestors but about transforming the social, economic, and political structures that perpetuate injustice.

Frantz Fanon wrote, “Decolonisation is the creation of a new man.” This “creation” requires justice without borders, where reparations become a shared right for all Afro-descendants –migrants or rooted, direct or indirect heirs of a common history of resistance. Reparatory justice concerns that exclude Afro-migrants cannot be complete.

Jackson Jean is a human rights advocate and journalist specialising in Afro-descendant, migrant and environmental rights. Send feedback to reparation.research@uwimona.edu.jm.