Gladstone heirs apologise for slavery, indentureship in Guyana

Charles Gladstone, descendent of John Gladstone whose family benefitted from African enslavement and indentureship on the Demerara and other plantations owned by its patriarch, has officially apologised for slavery and indentureship in Guyana.

He delivered the apology today at the George Walcott Lecture Theatre at the University of Guyana. The University of Guyana and the Guyana Reparations Committee had invited members of the Gladstone family to participate in the launch of UG’s International Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies.

“To the people of Guyana, we…the descendants of John Gladstone…we wish to offer our sincerest apologies for his actions in holding your ancestors in slavery,” Charles Gladstone expressed.

“Slavery was a crime against humanity and its damaging impact continues to be felt across the world today. It is with deep shame and regret that we acknowledge our ancestor’s involvement in this crime and with heartfelt sincerity, we apologise to the descendants of the enslaved in Guyana. In so doing, we acknowledge slavery’s continuing impact on the daily lives of many.”

“We also acknowledge Sir John Gladstone’s role in bringing indentured labourers to Guyana and we apologise for the clear and manifold injustice of this.”

According to Charles Gladstone, his family understands that “we cannot change history but we can have an impact on the world in which we live and in apologising for the actions our ancestors, we hope to work towards a better future. We support CARICOM’s ten-point justice plan and we urge the British government to enter into meaningful discussions with CARICOM so that both parties can move towards a better future together.”

“We also urge other descendants of those who benefitted from slavery to open conversations about their ancestors crimes and what they and what they might be able to do to build a better future.”

The Gladstone heir further revealed that his family has been helping to fund some work for the Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery at the University College of London for the past two years and are committed to this for five years. He said they are also funding other British cultural projects that seek to highlight the horrors faced by slavery.

In this regard, he announced the creation of a “financial fund to assist various projects in Guyana”. He said his family and stakeholders in Guyana will soon discuss the use of these funds.

“Our aim is to create meaningful and long-term relationships between our family and the people of Guyana,” Charles Gladstone expressed.

Meanwhile, Chair of the Guyana Reparations Committee Eric Phillips accepted the signed apology from the Gladstone family.