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If Your Ancestors Enslaved and Trafficked Africans, Here Are 4 Ways You Can Make It Up To Black People Today

Because you can’t keep those skeletons in the closet forever

When I started writing about racism in 2020, a white colleague of mine reached out to me for a confidential discussion. I was a little worried at first because I had heard that some people didn’t think I should share my opinion on social justice issues on LinkedIn. I suspected that this colleague would draw my attention to some internal rule that would make me have to take down my content.

I logged into the call, a little apprehensive and nervous. Social justice meant a lot to me, I lived in a democratic society, and I didn’t feel it was fair for my employer to prevent me from expressing my opinion.

The moment my colleague Gilles connected to the Zoom meeting, I knew that there was something else on his mind. He seemed pensive, almost hesitant when he started to speak.

“Rebecca, I’ve been reading your work about racism. I feel really uneasy when I read it because I found out a couple of years ago, that my ancestors played an important role in the slave trade. They were a big family in Bordeaux, France, and they owned many ships which transported enslaved peoples to the US and the Caribbean. I am so ashamed of what they did. There is nothing I can do to change the past, but I want to be a part of dismantling racism now and in the future. What can I concretely do?”

I was shocked. It was the first time I was coming across someone whose ancestors had enabled the horrific enslavement of people that looked like me, people of African descent. It was the first time that someone had openly acknowledged it. In case you’re wondering, here in Europe, people like to consider the TransAtlantic slave trade as an American problem. They don’t own up to the major role they played in that deplorable, exploitative, and traumatic trade of human beings.

So, I was surprised when Gilles not only owned up to it but wanted to help dismantle racism. I didn’t have an immediate response to his question then, but over the years, I have come up with several ways in which I think white people can engage in restorative justice. Here are 4 of them below.

1. Do you suspect that your ancestors were involved in the trafficking of human beings? If they were, there is no way that they could hide all the proof. Get to know your family history well. Investigate your suspicions, and find out what it is they did. Expose the secret and make sure it ends with you.
2. Some families that have discovered their links to the trafficking of human beings are proactively providing financial reparations to Black families. In the UK for example, a relative of the King of England has launched an initiative to make amends for the role his family played in the enslavement of humans. The fact is, you don’t have to wait until the government or some other legislative body makes you do it. You can take the initiative to directly pay reparations out of the wealth you inherited, the wealth your ancestors made from being involved in the slave trade.
3. If you cannot find the family your ancestors enslaved or trafficked, pay reparations to an institution that works to elevate people of African-American ancestry. In the US, you could provide funding to an HBCU, a historically black college, or a university. You can donate to Black charities and to Black causes. You can also support Black-owned businesses.
4. You can become an antiracist. Educate yourself about how you can join the fight to dismantle racism and white supremacy. Be intentional. Put in the work to correct the wrongs that your ancestors helped create and uphold. If you are in the legal profession, provide pro-bono services for underprivileged Black people. Make it one of your missions in life to help build up Black communities.

There are other ways that you can help correct the actions of your ancestors. I have shared but a few here, but I will continue to do so in future articles.

You might also have your own idea — please feel free to share them in the comments too. The objective is to build a body of work to help those that want to give back to Black people and communities for a wrong that destroyed so many lives, and that still has so many nefarious effects on communities. It is a wrong that we cannot try to brush under the carpet or ignore anymore.

Thank you for reading my perspective.