August 2020
T.I. Puts Lloyd’s of London ‘On Notice,’ Demands Reparations for Role in Atlantic Slave Trade
T.I. has called out Lloyd’s of London, demanding that the U.K. insurance titan pay reparations to descendants of African slaves due to the company’s ties to the transatlantic slave trade.
In a letter to Lloyd’s, the rapper put the company “on notice.”
“Our people have been financially impaired & economically disabled due to the systemic oppression and institutional racism it leaves behind,” T.I. captioned his Instagram post of the letter. “TIME TO TAKE WHAT WE KNOW OUR ANCESTORS DESERVED & DIED FOR.”
[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh0fvIEaDLM” playlist=”” width=”600″ height=”400″ responsive=”yes” controls=”yes” autohide=”alt” autoplay=”no” mute=”no” loop=”no” rel=”yes” fs=”yes” modestbranding=”no” theme=”dark” wmode=”” playsinline=”no” title=”” class=””]“Your commitment to reparations is an honorable one, but commitment without tangible actions is merely lip service,” he wrote in the letter. “We demand a specific call to action that includes, but is not limited to direct reparations be made to the families who were ripped from their native lands and sold as property while your company profited from the whole shameful endeavor.”
T.I. recommended four reparations methods to Lloyd’s: 10 percent ownership of Lloyd’s be given to the descendants of African slaves, accurate annual tracking of reparations, a $1 million cash loan (with 1% interest) to every African-American adult once in their lifetime for the next 200 years, and at least one African-American member on its 15-seat board.
At the end of the letter, the rapper implored Lloyd’s to present a “comprehensive reparation plan” ready to execute by the fall of 2020. “We have waited long enough and our community deserves real action and much more than empty apologies or platitudes,” he wrote.
In June, Lloyd’s recognized its role in the slave trade and vowed to redeem itself, which included hiring more Black employees and pledging funds to charities that push for diversity and inclusion. SOURCE: COMPLEX
This is the tip of the iceberg of legacy corporations that were the benefactors of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. This is call to action to which African-Americans to another segment of the movement.