by J. Coyden Palmer

CHICAGO�The Honorable Dudley J. Thompson, an important figure in Caribbean politics, told a South Side crowd that unity is important for the worldwide reparations movement for Blacks. But, he added, don�t be discouraged by different points of view on the subject.

"The reparations movement is a universal one. One of the things I hope to do is link the African American movement with the African Caribbean, and Latin American movement and then back to Africa. Those are the three big Black populations," said the former Jamaican government official, during his Jan. 27 speech at the Messiah-St. Bartholomew Church.

Mr. Thompson praised Black leaders and the Black community for taking the forefront in the fight for reparations. Politicians across the United States are making progress by keeping reparations in the news, he said, singling out the work of Congressman John Conyers. The Michigan Democrat has annually introduced congressional legislation calling for a reparations study commission. He has worked closely with reparations activists and groups.

"Conyers has been involved in this for a long time. His movement is centralized and all we have to do is support him. If we did nothing else but support him, we�d be right on track," Mr. Thompson said.

He isn�t too concerned about fears that the more people who become involved in the movement, the more it will be doomed to fail. Some reparations advocates fear too many people jumping on the bandwagon, bringing their opinions with them and causing confusion.

Mr. Thompson argues there will always be some amount of struggle and varied opinions on any important issue, especially with Black people.

"Wherever you find two Black people, you�ve got conflict," Mr. Thompson joked. "You find two Black people you will have three opinions. You don�t worry about that. The trouble is everybody wants to be a leader and nobody wants to be a follower. We have to stop getting into separate small boats and get together in one big boat with a single strategy in mind."

Dr. Conrad Worrill, national chairman of the National Black United Front, has been involved in the reparations movement for several decades. He credits several grassroots organizations with making reparations a cutting edge issue on the world political scene.

"Educating our people around the idea of reparations has sparked interest throughout the world," said Dr. Worrill, pointing to the work of organizations like the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (N�COBRA). He also believes the rise of the prison industrial complex with huge numbers of Blacks behind bars, continued unfair treatment in the criminal justice system and an embrace of reparations by some mainstream leaders and organizations has contributed to increased interest.

The issue is more than just about receiving economic compensation, Dr. Worrill stressed.

"When we talk about reparations, we must be clear that we are not just talking about money. We�re talking about repairing our minds, repairing our spirits, repairing our families because many of us feel that if we were to get some money right now, the way our minds are, it would go right back to the people we are fighting," he said.

Both Thompson and Mr. Worrill foresee reparations taking center stage at the upcoming United Nations World Conference against Racism, scheduled for later this year in South Africa. Activists will be lobbying nations at the conference to declare the Trans-Atlantic slave trade a crime against humanity. If successful, it could help pave the way for people of African ancestry throughout the world to receive reparations, activists say.