A Caribbean activist group has appealed to Bermudians to join calls for reparations to tackle the ongoing impact of chattel enslavement.

The Repair Campaign challenged people in the Caricom region to educate themselves on the social and economic effects of Black enslavement across the islands.

Brian Royes, a member of the campaign, said that Bermuda had “a powerful history of resistance”, particularly through figures such as Mary Prince, who had a key role in abolishing enslavement in Britain.

He added: “In light of this history and the ways the legacy of enslavement continues to impact Bermuda and the broader region, it is our hope that Bermudians will help to advance the reparatory justice movement by joining the calls for justice.”

Mr Royes was speaking after the launch of The Repair Campaign’s youth education programme, Why Repair Matters.

The programme urges members of the African diaspora to learn about the lasting effects of African enslavement and to call for social or financial recompense.

It came as Bermuda and other countries marked 190 years of emancipation.

Mr Royes acknowledged the role of Mary Prince, whose autobiography, The History of Mary Prince, a West Indian Slave, strengthened Britain’s abolition movement and directly led to the Slavery Abolition Act 1833, which took effect on August 1 the following year.

Mary Prince was born into enslavement in Devonshire to two enslaved parents.

Liner notes that accompanied a commemorative stamp series released last month, explained: “Her father, whose only given name was Prince, was a sawyer held in bondage by David Trimingham,” the notes said.

“Her mother was a house servant held in bondage by Charles Myners.

“When Myners died in 1788, Mary Prince and her mother were sold as household servants to Captain Darrell, who gifted Mary to his granddaughter, Betsey Williams.

“When she was 12, Mary Prince was sold for 38 pounds sterling to Captain John Ingham of Spanish Point. She was subjected to the many indignities of enslavement.”

She later escaped enslavement and wrote her autobiography.

The Repair Campaign noted that more than 5 million Africans were trafficked from West Africa to the Caribbean during a 300-year period, starting in the 1500s.

It said records showed that about 14 per cent of enslaved people died during the voyage, while another quarter of the survivors were likely to die within 18 months of reaching the Caribbean.

The average life expectancy for an enslaved Black person in the Caribbean was 25 years — a decade younger than the average Caribbean White person.

A spokesman for the Repair Campaign said that the effects of chattel enslavement have persisted for centuries, resulting in young Caribbeans experiencing “increased anxiety, indifference to trauma, high risk-taking behaviour and the rapidly diminishing perception of any value of life”.

He added that a 2021 Caricom survey showed that Latin America and the Caribbean had the highest global rate of homicide for males aged between 15 and 29 years.

The survey also revealed that hundreds of years on from slavery, the life expectancy among certain groups of Caribbean young men remained on average between 25 and 30 years old.

The spokesman said the Why Repair Matters campaign was intended to give young people a comprehensive knowledge of the history of enslavement and its effects.

He added that young people would also be encouraged to work with their local governments and activist groups to find ways to remedy those effects.

Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda, an antiracism charity, commended the call to address systemic racism and reparations.

Stacey-Lee Williams, the executive director of Curb, said: “Reparations can play a significant role in addressing the lasting social, economic, legislative, educational, psychological, criminal justice and political effects that slavery has had on populations, including the intergenerational trauma and disparities that persist today.”

She added: “The social, economic and political effects of slavery are profound and continue to shape our society.

“It is important for us as Bermudians to confront this history, educate ourselves and others about its impact and advocate for reparative measures that promote healing and justice.

“We encourage Bermudians to engage in conversations, education, and activism surrounding the topics of knowledge and reparations.

“By raising awareness, supporting initiatives that promote equity and reparative justice and advocating for policies that address historical injustices, we can work towards a more just and equitable society for all.”

• For more information or to sign a petition or Caribbean reparations, visit The Repair Campaign’s website atrepaircampaign.org