The Scott Foundation, owner of The Guardian, one of Britain's oldest newspapers, has apologized for the paper's founders' involvement in overseas slavery and announced a 10-year "restorative justice" programme.

The Scott Foundation also reported that it plans to invest more than $12 million for this purpose for the benefit of the descendants of those enslaved in connection with the founders of The Guardian in the 19th century.

This apology and "restorative justice" plan is based on the findings of research launched in 2020.

Parallel to the Black Lives Matter movement that started in the USA about 3 years ago, it caused an increase in the public's demand to oppose slavery in England.

As these debates flared up, the paper's owner foundation asked a group of academics to investigate the link between the journalist and cotton merchant John Edward Taylor, who founded The Guardian in 1821, and Manchester businessmen who supported him in the slave trade.

As a result of the research, it was learned that at least 9 of Taylor and 11 of his financial backers were associated with slavery, mainly through the cotton weaving industry.

Taylor appears to have been associated with slavery through his properties at the textile manufacturer Oakden & Taylor and the companies Shuttleworth, Taylor & Co, which imported large quantities of slave-produced cotton from America to England.

Researchers from the universities of Nottingham and Hull; Shuttleworth uncovered Taylor's direct affiliation with cotton fields in the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia through an invoice cob that included the names of the farmers and slavers from whom Taylor & Co had purchased cotton in that area.

Another early sponsor of The Guardian was Sir George Philips, who traded with the Caribbean islands and owned a sugarcane farm in Jamaica.

After the British outlawed slavery, he demanded compensation from the government for "loss of human property" for the 108 people who were freed in 1835 but were unable to obtain them.

In response, his partner's claim was successful and he received compensation from the government, estimated at the equivalent of at least £200,000 in today's money.

'Late' Apologies!

The Scott Foundation, owner of The Guardian, apologized through this research for 'communities identified as subject to slavery and their descendants', as well as for the paper's editorial policies that promoted the cotton industry and thus the exploitation of enslaved human labor in these countries.

'Restorative Justice' Project

A portion of the $12 million announced to be spent under the restorative justice program announced by the Scott Foundation will go to projects to be developed over the next 10 years in the Jamaica and Gullah Geechee regions, after consultation with the community and experts on compensation.

The Scott Foundation will appoint a director and an advisory-supervisory board to this program and will also clarify how much money will be invested in these projects within 12 months.

The foundation will focus on four areas with the remaining funds:

Raise awareness of what is happening on the overseas slave trade and legacy by partnering with other organizations, both in Manchester and around the world.

- Diversity will be supported in the media

-New academic studies will be started

-Guardian's coverage of news and access to new news will be expanded and strengthened.

The Guardian newspaper also announced that it will strengthen its reporting on black communities in the UK, USA, Caribbean, South America and Africa, create 12 new reporters for this purpose, and adopt new editorial policies to better appeal to black readers.

Source: BBC