Kingston, 13 August 2019 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has announced the appointment of the National Council on Reparations for the period 29 July 2019 to 28 July 2022.

Minister Grange said the Council — which is within the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport — is tasked with formulating strategies to claim, secure and dispense reparations due to the people of Jamaica for the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

The Council, chaired by Laleta Davis-Mattis, includes a diverse membership that possesses the requisite skills to advance the argument of Reparation for the people of Jamaica. The members are drawn from the Legal Fraternity, Academia, the Rastafari Community, Civil Society, the Church and the public sector.

The members are:
Mrs. Laleta Davis-Mattis (Chairperson)
Mr. Bert Samuels (Deputy Chairman)
Professor Verene Shepherd
Mr. Frank Phipps, QC
Lord Anthony Gifford, QC
Dr. Jahlani Niaah
Professor Rupert Lewis
Mr. Steven Golding
Dr. Michael Barnett
Professor Clinton Hutton
Mr. Donald Roberts, CD
Mr. Michael Holgate
Ras Lanceroy Ho-Shing
Mr. Vivian Crawford
Ms. Jo-Anne Archibald
Pastor Bruce A. Fletcher 
Reverend Stephen Jennings, PhD
Dr. Winsome Gordon
Ms. Lorraine Williams Tafari
Ms. Tamika Peart, PhD

The Council also advises the government on matters related to reparatory justice.

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