The Big Payback: Reparations

Marcus Ryder in conversation with Gary Younge, on reparations and how money shapes our morality and our views on racial justice

About the event

The transatlantic slave trade is often framed as a moral atrocity of the past. Yet both its legacy, and the way we respond to it today, reveal something deeper: that our moral positions are often shaped, and constrained, by our financial realities.

When slavery was abolished in Britain, the government compensated slave owners, not the enslaved - funding those payments through public debt that was only fully repaid in 2015. At no point were those who suffered, or their descendants, compensated. At the time, economic arguments were used to defend slavery - and later, to shape how it was ended.

Today, similar patterns persist. Calls for reparations are frequently diverted away from questions of justice and towards questions of cost. The debate shifts from “Is this right?” to “Can we afford it?” - allowing financial considerations to define the limits of moral responsibility.

Why has economic necessity so often been used to justify injustice, or delay its remedy? From slavery to child labour, and into contemporary debates about reparations, how has finance shaped not just what we do - but what we believe is right?

In this event, Marcus Ryder, in conversation with Gary Younge, will explore the historical and ongoing relationship between economics and morality, arguing that while finance may determine the scale and structure of reparations, it must never determine whether they are justified. Drawing on The Big Payback, co-authored with Lenny Henry, he will make the case that reparations are not simply a financial question, but a moral one - and that confronting this distinction is essential to addressing the enduring legacy of slavery and racial injustice.

Schedule

Marcus Ryder will give a short talk and will then be in conversation with Gary Younge, followed by an opportunity for the audience to ask questions. We expect this part of the event to finish by 4.30pm after which there will be a chance to get a copy of The Big Payback signed by Marcus.

Copies of The Big Payback book

Copies of The Big Payback will not be available to buy at this event. You can pick up a copy at the Manchester branch of Blackwell's, before or after the event (before, if you would like to get your copy signed!).

Recording/online attendance

This event is in person only. It will not be recorded.

Cancellations

If you register and then find out that you cannot come, please, please, please cancel your place as early as possible.

Directions

See the University of Manchester Maps and Travel pages for directions to University Place.

Accessibility

See the Accessable page for University Place for more details. If you would like to make us aware of any accessibility needs to help you make the most of the event, please email hazel.burke@manchester.ac.uk as early as possible.

Enquiries

Please contact hazel.burke@manchester.ac.uk if you have questions about this event.