Tuesday, 26 March, 2002, 06:10 GMT
US firms face slave reparations suit
Many blacks seek reparations for 250 years of slavery
Three major US corporations accused of profiting from the slave trade before
it was abolished almost 150 years ago are being taken to court by
African-Americans seeking compensation for the abuses suffered by their
ancestors.
The lawsuit is the first of what is expected to be a deluge of claims
against insurer Aetna, railroad firm CSX and financial services firm Fleet
Boston.
The actions of hundreds of years ago... in no way reflect Aetna today
Aetna statement
Researcher Deadria Farmer-Paelmann's suit contends the three corporations
were "unjustly enriched" by "a system that enslaved, tortured, starved and
exploited human beings".
In a written statement, Aetna expressed deep regret for issuing insurance
policies which paid the owner in the event of a slave's death.
It said the actions of "hundreds of years ago... in no way reflect Aetna
today".
Aetna said it had invested $36m (£25.2m) in the African-American community,
targeting areas such as education, health and other areas. The firm said it
embraces diversity and supports diverse causes.
The BBC's Michael Voss says successive generations of African-Americans have
failed to persuade the government to apologise or offer compensation.
Now Ms Farmer-Paelmann's lawsuit is asking for unspecified damages,
restitution for unpaid slave labour and a share of corporate profits derived
from slavery.
Her complaint alleges that the disparities that currently exist between
blacks and whites in the US are a product of 250 years of enslavement and
more than a century of institutionalised racism.
A spokeswoman for CSX told USA Today newspaper there was "no legal basis for
the lawsuit".
"It is an unfortunate misuse of the legal system to attempt to address
issues well over a century old at the expense of today's workers and
stockholders," spokeswoman Kathy Burns said.
Aetna made a public apology in March 2000, following research by Ms
Farmer-Paelmann that showed the firm issued policies to farmers in the
American South covering them against the death of their slaves.
Further research by Ms Farmer-Paelmann alleges that dozens of other
corporations benefited from the labour of slaves in a variety of industries,
including tobacco, coal and textiles.
With regard to FleetBoston, she charges the founder of the company made much
of his fortune in the slave trade.
In a similar legal manoeuvre, survivors of the Holocaust secured $4bn in
reparations from firms which used Nazi-era slave labour.
Those companies included Deutsche Bank, conglomerate Siemens and carmakers
Volkswagen and DaimlerChrysler.
With the very best of good wishes,
Musa Amadu Pembo
Glasgow,
Scotland
UK.
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Da’wah is to convey the message with wisdom and with good words. We should
give the noble and positive message of Islam. We should try to emphasize
more commonalities and explain the difference without getting into
theological arguments and without claiming the superiority of one position
over the other. There is a great interest among the people to know about
Islam and we should do our best to give the right message.
May Allah,Subhana Wa Ta'Ala,guide us all to His Sirat Al-Mustaqim (Righteous
Path).May He protect us from the evils of this life and the hereafter.May
Allah,Subhana Wa Ta'Ala,grant us entrance to paradise .
We ask Allaah the Most High, the All-Powerful, to teach us that which will
benefit us, and to benefit us by that which we learn. May Allaah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala grant blessings and peace to our Prophet Muhammad and his family
and
companions..Amen.
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