AU’s Reparations Push: History Behind the Headlines

By Darius Spearman (africanelements)

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When the African Union (AU) launched its 5th Awareness Week on Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development in Cairo, it was more than a routine event (egypttoday.com). Leaders tied the week directly to a powerful global theme: designating 2025 as the “Year of Reparations” (au.int). This move powerfully frames the reconstruction of war-torn societies, the fight for historical justice, and the protection of human rights as interconnected struggles (nilepost.co.ug). For African Americans and the diaspora, this is not a distant conversation. It is a signal that the fight for justice for our ancestors is gaining global momentum, rooted in a long history of Pan-African solidarity. The AU is making it clear that healing the wounds of conflict on the continent and healing the wounds of slavery across the diaspora are two sides of the same coin.

The Pan-African Roots of Reparations

The call for reparations is not new; its roots run deep into the soil of Pan-Africanism. This movement, which champions the unity and self-reliance of Africa and its diaspora, emerged from the shared struggle against slavery and colonialism in the 18th century (au.int). African American intellectuals were central to this awakening. Figures like W.E.B. Du Bois played a key role in organizing early Pan-African Congresses, which began articulating these demands for justice as early as 1900 (ipatc.joburg). He skillfully linked the fight for civil rights in America with the fight for liberation on the African continent (au.int). Likewise, Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) mobilized millions of Black people worldwide, including in the United States, around a vision of Black self-reliance and a connection to our ancestral homeland (au.int).

This long history of advocacy was formalized when the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the AU’s predecessor, took up the cause (au.int). A landmark moment was the First Pan-African Conference on Reparations in Abuja, Nigeria, in 1993 (au.int). This conference produced the Abuja Proclamation, which declared a moral debt was owed to African peoples for the damages of slavery, colonialism, and neo-colonialism (openedition.org). The AU continued this work, joining the United Nations at the 2001 World Conference against Racism, where the transatlantic slave trade was officially acknowledged as an appalling tragedy requiring justice for its victims (au.int). Furthermore, these Pan-African ideals fueled the Civil Rights Movement and continue to inspire contemporary movements like Black Lives Matter, connecting our fight for justice to a global struggle for Black liberation (au.int).

From “Non-Interference” to “Non-Indifference”

To understand the AU’s current focus on justice, it is important to see how the organization itself has evolved. Its predecessor, the OAU, was founded in 1963 with a primary focus on ending colonialism and protecting the sovereignty of new African nations (au.int). It operated under a strict policy of “non-interference” in the internal affairs of its member states (wikipedia.org). While necessary at the time, this policy was criticized for preventing the OAU from acting during many devastating internal conflicts (au.int). The African Union, launched in 2002, represented a major shift in this thinking. The AU adopted the principle of “non-indifference,” asserting its right to intervene in member states in cases of war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity (au.int).

This new, proactive stance led to the creation of the AU Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) Policy in 2006 (au.int). This policy provides a blueprint for helping countries emerge from conflict by addressing the root causes of violence and consolidating peace (au.int). The need for such a framework is undeniable. More than half of all peace agreements in post-conflict situations fail within eight years, a risk that is even higher in Sub-Saharan Africa (reliefweb.int). As of 2021, at least 18 sub-Saharan African states were experiencing active armed conflicts, many of them high-intensity (sipri.org). Indeed, this new approach reflects a deep understanding that sustainable peace requires active engagement and a commitment to justice for victims.

What Reparations Mean for the Diaspora

When the AU talks about reparations, it is using a broad and comprehensive definition. For African Americans and others in the diaspora, this is critical. The AU’s concept moves beyond simple financial payments (au.int). Instead, it includes restitution, rehabilitation, satisfaction, and guarantees that these historical wrongs will not be repeated (au.int). This approach acknowledges the deep, psychological, cultural, and systemic damage caused by the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism. The AU’s Committee of Five on Reparations views this as a process that includes psychological rehabilitation, cultural restoration, and major institutional reforms (au.int).

The AU also clarifies who it means by “People of African Descent” or the “Diaspora.” The definition is expansive, including people of African origin living outside the continent, regardless of their citizenship (au.int). However, the AU’s reparations initiatives focus primarily on addressing the historical injustices of the slave trade and colonialism (au.int). This implicitly prioritizes the claims of the descendants of enslaved people in the United States, the Caribbean, and the Americas. Therefore, this is a direct acknowledgment of our unique historical experience and our right to justice for the centuries of unpaid labor and suffering our ancestors endured.

Connecting Africa’s Struggles to Our Own

The transatlantic slave trade left a unique and devastating legacy on African Americans. Its impact did not end with emancipation. It was followed by nearly a century of Jim Crow laws that enforced racial segregation and denied Black people basic human rights (au.int). Even after the Civil Rights Movement, systemic practices like redlining systematically prevented Black families from building wealth through homeownership, creating a racial wealth gap that persists today (au.int). The legacy of this history is also seen in the crisis of mass incarceration, which disproportionately targets our communities and strips them of human and economic potential (au.int).

This is where the AU’s work on “Transitional Justice” in post-conflict zones becomes relevant to our struggle. Transitional justice involves mechanisms like truth and reconciliation commissions to address past abuses and provide redress for victims (au.int). The AU’s push for reparatory justice for the diaspora shows a recognition that the historical crimes against us require similar measures of truth-telling, accountability, and restoration (au.int). Consequently, by framing the slave trade as a crime against humanity, the AU is arguing that its consequences require a global, justice-focused response, whether the wounds are from a recent civil war or from the centuries-old horror of chattel slavery.

The AU’s Plan: A Global Push for Justice

The designation of 2025 as the “Year of Reparations” is not just a symbolic gesture; it is the launchpad for a decade of focused action (amaniafrica-et.org). This initiative, which grew out of the Accra 2023 Reparations Conference, will be followed by a “Decade of Action on Reparations and African Heritage” from 2026 to 2036 (au.int). The Accra conference called for the creation of concrete mechanisms to deliver justice globally. Key among these are a proposed “Committee of Experts on Reparations” and an “Africa Reparations Fund” (au.int). The Committee will be tasked with developing legal strategies and a common African position on the issue, while the Fund will mobilize and disburse resources (au.int).

For African Americans, these mechanisms offer a tangible path for inclusion in a global reparations framework. The Africa Reparations Fund is envisioned to be capitalized by contributions from the former colonial powers and institutions that profited from slavery (au.int). Its disbursement plans are comprehensive, aiming to support educational programs, cultural restitution projects, and community development, in addition to other forms of restitution (au.int). This global fund could provide resources directly to our communities, helping to repair the long-term damage caused by centuries of systemic oppression. This plan demonstrates a serious commitment to making reparatory justice a reality for the diaspora.

How This Strengthens Our Fight at Home

Perhaps one of the most powerful actions taken by the AU is Decision 934, which officially categorizes the transatlantic slave trade, colonialism, and genocide as crimes against humanity (au.int). This is a game-changer. For African American groups seeking reparations from the U.S. government and private institutions, this declaration provides a new and powerful legal and moral framework (au.int). It elevates our domestic claims to the level of international human rights law, reinforcing the argument that the legacy of slavery is a continuous violation that requires comprehensive redress (au.int). It gives our advocates a strong international precedent to leverage in legal and political arenas.

It is also crucial to remember the role African Americans have played in getting us to this point. From W.E.B. Du Bois to modern-day activists, we have been at the forefront of the Pan-African movement for reparations (au.int). Our scholars and civil society groups have helped shape the global discourse and have consistently pushed for international recognition of slavery as a crime against humanity (au.int). The AU’s current initiatives are, in many ways, the result of generations of our own advocacy. Now, this global solidarity provides a new source of pressure on the United States to finally acknowledge and atone for its historical crimes. Subsequently, the struggles are connected, and in this unity, we find our greatest strength.

About the Author

Darius Spearman is a professor of Black Studies at San Diego City College, where he has been teaching for over 20 years. He is the founder of African Elements, a media platform dedicated to providing educational resources on the history and culture of the African diaspora. Through his work, Spearman aims to empower and educate by bringing historical context to contemporary issues affecting the Black community.