Legacies of Slavery Across the Americas Still Shape Our Politics

The long history of slavery in the United States has been at the heart of public debates during the past two presidential elections cycles. During the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, public debates about reparations for slavery reemerged when Caribbean Community (CARICOM) led calls for reparations. Since then, new debates about Confederate monuments erupted in violence at Charlottesville, Va., and the brutal murder of George Floyd made clear that the legacy of slavery persists in deadly and dangerous ways.