To the CEOs, Boards of Directors, and Executive Leaders of:

Lloyd’s of London, Greene King, ABN AMRO, BNP Paribas, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Lloyd’s Register, Brown Brothers Harriman, Cargill, Nestlé, Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, Canadian National Railroads, Johns Hopkins University, and Princeton University:

 

Your companies and institutions built generational wealth through the exploitation and suffering of enslaved African people. For too long, you have profited in silence while the descendants of those enslaved continue to face systemic poverty, disenfranchisement, and inequality 

We, the descendants of enslaved Africans and concerned citizens across the globe, demand that corporations who profited from the transatlantic slave trade and the institution of slavery acknowledge their involvement and commit to meaningful recompense—not just to communities in the United States, but to all African-descended people worldwide who continue to suffer from the lasting consequences of systemic exploitation, generational theft, and racial injustice.

 

For far too long, corporations and financial institutions have built generational wealth on the backs of our ancestors—profiting from stolen labor, broken families, and human suffering—while the descendants of the enslaved are left with generational poverty, disenfranchisement, and systemic barriers. Many of these corporations remain silent, hiding behind mergers, rebrands, and hollow gestures, refusing to address the direct bloodline of wealth that traces back to slavery.

 

It is time to hold them accountable.

It is time for recompense.

It is time for justice.

Corporate Targets: Who Must Pay Recompense

 

This petition specifically names corporations across the globe with documented ties to slavery and the transatlantic slave trade:

 

United States:

• JPMorgan Chase & Co.: Through predecessor banks like Citizens Bank and Canal Bank, accepted enslaved individuals as collateral for loans to plantation owners.

• Bank of America: Acquired banks that had ties to the slave trade.

• New York Life: Formerly sold insurance policies on enslaved individuals.

• Cargill: Accused of benefiting from forced labor in supply chains, reflecting ongoing exploitation tied to slavery’s legacy.

• Citigroup: Admitted that predecessor companies likely benefited financially from slavery.

• Brown Brothers Harriman: Founders involved in slave trading, plantation ownership, and financial support of slavery-driven industries. No formal public acknowledgment or reparative action has been taken.

• Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, Canadian National (Railroads): Predecessor railroads were built with enslaved labor and financially benefited from slavery-related infrastructure.

• WestPoint Stevens (Textile Industry): Documented historical ties to slavery-based industries.

 

United Kingdom:

• Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS): Financed and insured industries dependent on slavery, including slave ships, plantations, and colonial enterprises.

• Lloyd’s of London: Provided insurance services to slave ships and slave owners.

• Lloyd’s Register: Recently apologized for evaluating slave ships’ seaworthiness, facilitating the trade, but has taken no reparative financial action.

• Greene King (Brewery): Founders had ties to the slave trade.

• Royal Mail Steam Packet Company (RMSPC): Used enslaved labor in the Caribbean even after abolition.

• Boots: Historical research revealed founder’s family links to the transatlantic slave trade.

• Antony Gibbs & Sons, Camden, Calvert & King: Major British companies directly involved in the slave trade and colonial profiteering.

 

Other European Entities:

• BNP Paribas, Société Générale (France): Profited from financing slave economies in the Caribbean.

• ABN AMRO (Netherlands): Predecessors like Hope & Co. and Mees & Zoonen were deeply involved in slave trading.

• Swiss Banks and Companies: Swiss financial institutions, traders, and entrepreneurs participated in colonial exploitation and the slave trade, contributing to the deportation of over 170,000 enslaved Africans.

The key corporations that are still active in 2025 and were historically tied to chattel slavery include:

• Lloyd’s of London

• Greene King

• ABN AMRO

• BNP Paribas

• Boots (Walgreens Boots Alliance)

• Lloyd’s Register

Global Food Industry:

• Nestlé & Cargill: Accused of profiting from forced labor and child slavery, especially in cocoa supply chains tied to West Africa. Controversies continue about their labor practices and lack of reparative action.

 

Educational Institutions:

• Johns Hopkins University: Founder owned enslaved individuals; the university has acknowledged this but has not issued formal reparative commitments.

• Princeton University: Trustees and presidents tied to slavery; public acknowledgment made, but no concrete reparations.

 

This petition leaves space to identify and publicly pressure these global entities—whether through name changes, mergers, or expansions—who have remained silent, rebranded, and continued profiting off the backs of our enslaved ancestors. Recompense is not confined to one country. It is a global debt, owed to African-descended people across the world who are still living with the ripple effects of stolen labor, broken families, and generational disenfranchisement.

 

We Demand the Following Actions:

 

Public Acknowledgment:

 

All corporations listed must issue official statements admitting historical involvement in slavery, forced labor, and exploitation.

 

Financial Recompense:

 

Establish a Recompense and Justice Fund to:

• Provide direct restitution to descendants of enslaved individuals.

• Invest in Black communities globally through education, housing, healthcare, and economic development programs.

• Offer grants and zero-interest loans for Black-owned businesses.

 

Full Transparency:

 

Disclose all corporate archives, financial records, and profits tied to slavery, colonial exploitation, and forced labor.

 

Support for Memorialization & Education:

 

Allocate funds toward African and African diaspora history centers, public memorials, and scholarship programs to honor victims of slavery and educate future generations.

 

Recompense is not charity—it is justice.

 

Generational wealth was built on generational exploitation. It’s time to pay what is owed.

 

Add your voice to demand corporate accountability and recompense. Sign below.