‘Reparations’ Defined : The VI/Danish symbol of partnership

In February 2007, as a symbol of the new partnership begun between Danes and Virgin Islanders, the African-Caribbean Reparations and Resettlement Alliance (ACRRA) and Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) coined a definition for reparations. As such, reparations are: "Acknowledgement between communities which share a common history with the aim to heal the wounds from past human rights violations. The aim of reparations is to heal consequences of inhumanity and to create bonds of equality between communities divided by the historic roles carried out as offender and offended. Reparations are the joint obligation to truth-telling, to ensure that the relevant historical facts are uncovered, discussed and properly memorialized. Reparations, through initiatives in education, restoration and reconciliation, will succeed in making some form of amends in the present to give material substance to expressions of regret and responsibility."