Sir Hilary: Return Drax Plantation

The Drax Hall plantation should be returned to Barbadians and be used for education, social development, promoting tourism, tolerance, and freedom.

Chairman of the CARICOM Reparations Commission (CRC), Professor Sir Hilary Beckles made this comment during a Zoom meeting recently. The Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration and Stand Up to Racism Dorset (UK) hosted the event with Sir Hilary who spoke on the reparations for Barbados from MP for South Dorset in the United Kingdom, Richard Drax.

The regional educator said that the handing over of the estate was important as it would no longer be seen as a symbol of the evil of slavery.

“We are asking you to do the human thing. You, by your act of reparations for your family, you have that plantation and that great house after three hundred years? You hand it to the government of Barbados as a part of the heritage of the people,” said Sir Hilary.

Drax family funded, supported slavery

In his presentation, Sir Hilary noted that the Drax family funded the pro-slavery lobby and those who were opposed to emancipation were financed by them. He explained this occurred due to the family’s position in the history of slavery.

“(The Drax Family’s) position was why should we agree to end a system that we have started, that made us millionaires? We built the system, we designed it, we structured it. Why should we end it when it has served us so well?” said Sir Hilary.

The historian also mentioned how the Drax family managed their estate after emancipation. He outlined that in Jamaica, the Drax family sold their property since the freed Africans refused to work for the former slave owner. They had the option of moving to the mountains and living off the land. But in Barbados, the infamous Drax Hall Estate was retained as blacks had no choice but to continue to work for the plantation owner.

“Ninety-eight percent of the land was owned by the slave owners. Eighty-three thousand Africans had nowhere to go. They had to go back towork the next day,” said Sir Hilary.

In his closing remarks, Sir Hilary told the virtual audience, the Drax family has shown no remorse and they are recognised as having no moral compass.  He said that the Drax Hall Estate was built by the enslaved people over ten years. He suggested that it should be used to promote historical tourism and tell the story of the history of Barbados.

“It has been there over 300 years, that should be handed over to the Barbados Heritage Trust,” said Sir Hilary.