Enslaved African and Yucatecan Indian labourers, on a plantation in Cuba, photographed in 1863. Courtesy of the Cuban Heritage Collection, University of Miami Libraries

Nicole Vassell, The Independent

A friendship can survive many things. But could it survive finding out that one of your friend’s ancestors probably enslaved your own? For Norwich South MP Clive Lewis and former BBC journalist Laura Trevelyan, it was an uncomfortable revelation they had to face head-on. “Clive’s ancestors might have been enslaved by mine, which is horrible — but it’s a starting point to get into a very necessary topic,” says Trevelyan. “If I felt angry,” adds Lewis. “I would’ve said so to Laura. Our relationship is one where we can speak openly with each other.”

Lewis and Trevelyan have created a new podcast, Heirs of Enslavement, which tackles their shared history, and their fight for reparatory justice for the descendants of enslaved people in the Caribbean. On their show, and over Zoom today, the pair have an upbeat rapport, with laughter and mutual compliments flowing easily. They’re also somewhat unlikely allies: Lewis, 52, is a republican on the Labour left, while Trevelyan, 55, says she has “pretty centrist” leanings. They tell me they understand if people might see their connection as surprising, even before knowing their shocking historical link. But despite their differences, they are united in their passion for conversation, as well as their shared desire for reparations when it comes to Britain’s part in the horrors of slavery. “People that know us both know that we come from very different backgrounds,” Lewis says. “And there’s definitely space between where our politics lie. I think that’s what makes it all the more attractive and interesting; it shows how people from quite a broad spectrum of politics can come together on what is quite a controversial issue.”

Trevelyan’s awareness of her family history began in 2014 when, while working as an anchor for BBC World News America, she discovered that her ancestors had not only owned up to 10 different plantations in Grenada, but had actually financially benefited from the abolition of slavery in 1837. “They got compensation for six different sugar cane plantations in Grenada for what was termed their property,” she explains. The Trevelyans ended up receiving £34,000, equivalent to £3.5m in 2021, providing them with wealth and social influence for generations. Yet, it wasn’t until the killing of George Floyd in 2020 and the resulting revival of the Black Lives Matter movement that Trevelyan properly faced up to her ancestors’ role in a centuries-old social imbalance. “Every night I was anchoring the US BBC News broadcast, interviewing people about the meaning of the protests in the States,” she says. “I thought, if the legacy of slavery in America is police brutality towards Black men, what does it mean in Grenada? What’s the legacy there? What’s the debate? What role did my ancestors (play)?”

Trevelyan explored these questions in the 2022 documentary called Grenada: Confronting the Past. In 2023, 104 descendants of the slave plantation owner Sir John Trevelyan signed a letter of apology to the people of Grenada on behalf of their ancestors, and also established an educational fund on the island worth £100,000. Trevelyan then left her 30-year broadcasting career to advocate for Caribbean reparations full time. Back in Britain, Lewis was no stranger to the debate over compensation for descendants of slavery. The son of the prominent Grenadian-British trade unionist Tony Lewis, and influenced by the late Labour politician and reparations activist Bernie Grant, Lewis had long been wondering how best to bring to the political forefront the issue of British reparations to the Caribbean. “Even in my own party, this wasn’t an issue that was being discussed,” he says. “Labour’s one-line position is: ‘The party does not believe in reparatory justice’. It was an issue I was looking at but thinking, ‘How do I speak up about this?’”

Days after the Trevelyans’ public apology, Lewis took action. He told ministers that the UK must pay reparation to Caribbean countries to make up for Britain’s role in slavery. “I knew that that was my moment to stand up in parliament and say: ‘If Laura and her family can do this, then why isn’t the British state?’”

From there, Lewis and Trevelyan’s friendship began. They started to message and call each other on WhatsApp, commending one another for taking stands while sharing their individual resources. When the opportunity to visit Grenada together and create a podcast about it arose, they couldn’t say no.