Two British charities recently found out tha they were set up with proceeds from slavery. These charities have been tackling racial injustice and have promised to make amends after a report uncovered the source of their proceeds.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, critiqued the latest Sewell report on race in Britain, have apologised for being oblivious to the fact that their funds came from slavery. These century old charities were set up by money that came from the confectionery giant Rowntree.
“A study, carried out by another arm of the Rowntree family, found that in the early 20th century the company had imported cocoa and other goods produced by slaves in the Portuguese West African islands of São Tomé and Príncipe,” The Times reported.
The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust tweeted that it was “deeply disturbed by many of the findings and recommendations”, adding: “We know, from the work of many of our grantees, about the persistent and harsh realities of systemic racism in the UK today.” It also said it was “taking immediate action to strengthen our contribution to racial justice” and will look for more “forms of reparation”.
